As a mom, I sometimes hear certain statements made by my children that could rattle my nerves. One of those is the beloved “that’s not fair” statement. As a parent, it is my responsibility to teach my children about fairness. Even so, to a child, almost everything that goes against what they desire is unfair. At least in my household it is. If something doesn’t go their way, it’s automatically not fair.
“Mom, why does sissy get to stay up later?”
“Because she’s older.”
“That’s not fair!”
“Mom, can you buy me a candy bar?”
“No. You haven’t had dinner.”
“That’s not fair!”
Continue Reading »
Yep. I watch it all right.
I’ll admit some of the outfits aren’t made with as much material as my great-grandmother’s hankies, but I can’t help but watch Dancing With the Stars. I’m drawn in each week as the ladies spin and twirl and the gentlemen dip and swagger.
With breath held, I lean towards the television set hoping no one falls or worse – has a wardrobe malfunction. Then I wait to see how the judges respond to the footwork, chemistry, and choreography.
More often than not, my take on the dance differs greatly from the judges. They are quite critical, pointing out the tiniest missteps, while I’m on my feet clapping at the beauty of it all.
Continue Reading »
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” ~ Hans Hofmann
“Hey!” Kendall walked into the kitchen. It was the twinkle in her eyes more than her excited tone that captured my attention. “Can you come here for a minute?”
I dried my hands on a towel and then followed her into the living room. She walked to the hutch which now housed the collection of salt and pepper shakers I had inherited from my grandmother. I thought for sure she must have more questions about them. She reached one tiny hand out but – instead of fingering one of the sets in fascination like she had earlier – she pointed to the round tin with the letters S I M P L I F Y stenciled on the side that sat tucked out of the way on the bottom shelf.
Continue Reading »
On Tuesday, I mopped the floor.
On Wednesday, I diligently picked up crumbs– bits of nectarine muffin, corn flakes, pieces of granola. Exclaiming over and over again as they ate — “be careful!” “Lean over the table!” “Don’t make a mess!”
Aaaah — the once-a-month psycho gotta-keep-my-floor-clean mom. Nobody likes her. She doesn’t like herself. But she loves that clean floor feeling — no need to peel up toes from sticky spots or dust crumbs off heels. Clean. And when she waits a month to do it, mopping the stick and grime off the floor is a huge job. A result worthy of enjoyment — for much longer than a few minutes.
Continue Reading »
I met Arminda on my trip to Bolivia with the World Vision Blogger Team. Arminda has a mother, father, and four older brothers. She didn’t have the typical arrival to her family. You see Arminda was abandoned. Neighbors in this community had taked her from door to door trying to find someone to care for her.
This family didn’t ask themselves all of the questions they might have asked as they tried to talk themselves out of doing something “crazy” like taking in another child when they already had so little for themselves. They responded to her need. They gave her a home.
Continue Reading »
“Mommy! Mommeeeeeeeeee! I caught a frog!”
Walking through the field admiring the beauty of the giant pine trees and tall grass on our family camping trip revealed a hidden gem we almost never even noticed. Frogs. These were nothing like giant toads but were very tiny baby frogs that looked almost cute.
Without any advanced training or ability to research the proper frog catching technique, my sons jumped right into getting a hold of nature’s little surprise. They quickly learned frog catching requires keen eye observation waiting for just the right moment, a little bit of skill, and a lot of tenderness.
Continue Reading »
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27 NIV
For the fifth time in an hour, I leaned over my newborn daughter’s bassinet and checked to make sure she was okay. Thoughts of SIDS and fears of her getting tangled in her blanket filled my head. I held my breath and watched her tiny chest rise and fall. Only after I was sure she was okay did I lie back down and try to get some sleep.
Those first few nights of motherhood—months, actually—were like that. When my daughter didn’t wake me up because she was hungry, I woke myself up to make sure she was okay.
Continue Reading »
A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you’re fast asleep
In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling thru
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
the dream that you wish will come true.
When I was a child, I loved to make wishes. I made them while standing outside in the dark, standing on the grass in my bare feet, gazing upon the stars. I made them in pretty party dresses surrounded by friends and family as I puckered up and blew out the candles on the cake.
Continue Reading »
