I stood outside their bedroom door tonight after tucking them in, leaning on the frame, listening. Curious if they would fall asleep quickly or if there might be some cute dialogue between the two of them. Usually I break away for the computer or a book — some place to decompress after a mentally-draining day, but tonight I lingered, wanting to soak in a motherhood moment.
“Did mommy leave?” asks the younger. “Yes.”
“Didshee come in dust to top?” he says in his usual not-so-easy-to-understand 3-year-old-ese. “What?”
“DID she come in dust to talK?” he enunciated the k better this time.
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There are painful times in life when it seems that all we can do is grasp for some sort of encouragement to get us through the present moment. These times can either be full of a flood of excess emotion or the opposite absence of emotion. Both are a sign of a heart in intense pain. It can be hard to tell which way is up, and time is blurry and abstract. It can be hard to have vision for the current day, let alone the grand scheme of life.
If you aren’t in a time of life like this right now, chances are you have been or will be in not too terribly long.
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I have a vitamin D deficiency I didn’t know until my doctor did a blood test. I wouldn’t say it’s a big deal, but when I first found out, it did help explain why I was so tired all of the time.
*Among the symptoms are:
Low energy and fatigue
Symptoms of depression and mood swings
Sleep irregularities
Lowered immunity
To combat the deficiency, I take vitamin D3 supplements once a day. Pretty easy.
As I reached for the vitamin bottle one day, I realized that vitamins are not the only deficiency taking its toll on us.
There is spiritual deficiency.
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As my fingers start to move across the keyboard, my eyes are filled with tears but there’s still a smile on my face. That’s what happens when I think about my mom.
It’s been five years since I’ve been able to celebrate Mother’s Day with her, and I still miss her like crazy.
My mom, like so many moms, was chauffeur, cook, housekeeper, laundress, counselor, painter (walls as well as canvas), gardener, nurse, teacher, party planner, nutritionist, beautician, and decorator. She was also a fabulous hostess, a voracious reader, and a talented seamstress. She could even shoot straight and scare away those critters brave enough to invade her garden and munch on her labors.
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This summer proves to be an exciting one for our family with multiple camping trips planned to destinations around the western United States. The thought is that we’ll catch campsites along the way, not often staying more than one night, and we’ll get a really broad experience — a big picture view of what there is to see.
Our first tour will be Utah’s National Parks. We’re hoping to see Zion, Arches, Moab, Mesa Verde and all points in between. Great fun, right? Hiking and exploring opportunities, photos to be taken, camping out under big starry skies — I imagine such bonding memories for the family.
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I’ve read Psalm 145 dozens of times, but the other day it grabbed my attention like never before.
King David – giant killer, warrior, adulterer, murderer . . . and “man after God’s own heart.”
Let’s take a closer look at his words:
I will exalt You, my God and King, and praise Your name forever and ever.
I will praise You every day; yes, I will praise You forever.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure His greatness.v.1-3
“I will” – not I’ll try, but I will. I promise.
“To extol” – the Hebrew word for extol here is ruwm.
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This week is my birthday. 🙂
I’ve always loved my birthday. (Even if there were a couple of years when moving into the next decade was a little hard to swallow.)
I wonder if God is like a parent—anxious to help His child celebrate her day.
Reminiscing…I remember the day I thought of you. How I enjoyed deciding exactly how to create you! The gifts and skills you would have…the plans I made for you.
And disappointed when we grumble about getting older.
My grandma wore the title of senior citizen proudly. She loved her birthday and until her last few years when she didn’t feel well, she just kept going, keeping busy and enjoying life.
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As mamas, we carry heavy loads. There are so many details to remember. In my own mind right now, these swirling; kids doctor’s appointment, paper work for records transfer, math tests graded for the math tutor tomorrow, transcript send from this college to the other, graduation save the dates and announcements, lunch, laundry, writing this post and so many more.
And those are just immediate needs my mind is reeling about. How about past decisions, missed appointments and opportunities, regrets?
Do you ever find yourself replaying past events and decisions in your mind, overanalyzing them, wondering and worrying about what you could have done different?
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