A Child’s Time Management Advice that Just Might Change Your Life
I’m losing my voice after my cold, so I write my youngest daughter a note to tell her what she needs to remember to do before bedtime. She disappears and then comes back to tuck a note into my hand. Yes. Finish the important things. Do the rest later. ___________________________________________I love learning from children, don’t […]
What It Needs
I was thinking the other day about the millions of acorns on my lawn. What does it take for one little seed to take root and grow into a tall oak? Why aren’t there millions of spouting acorn seeds all over my lawn? So many don’t survive. They’re eaten. They dry out. They rot. They’re […]
Confessions of a Tailgater (The Driving Kind)
It’s a rainy day, and on the way to the grocery store, I nearly collide with two different cars at various stop signs. My tires spin and the brakes hesitate on the slick pavement. I’m driving way too close to the car in front of me, and these driving conditions showcase my problem: I’m a […]
Crayon Drip Pumpkins: A Fun After School Craft
My youngest daughter bursts out of the school telling me how we must melt crayons on our pumpkins because her incredibly creative and wonderful teacher showed her one of her own designs. “It was so beautiful in all those melted colors! Let’s do it!” At moments like this, I feel we are an ill-matched mother […]
Take a Minute
The weather report shows snowstorms for next week, but today, I’m not even wearing a jacket to campus. It’s going to be nearly 70 degrees. I take a minute to savor it. I stand beneath the oak tree and gaze up. I go inside the Weeping Cherry and let the sun peek in. I part […]
When You Need Strength for the Week Ahead
Sometimes I pray for a circumstance to change, but when it will not, I know it’s time to pray for strength. I think about three promises from scripture when I feel weak and scared inside: 2 Chronicles 16:9: For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully […]
A Little Thing Supports a Big Thing
At the pumpkin patch today, my daughter chooses a pumpkin with an unusual stem. Part of it branches out into far reaching curly cues. I lean in, noticing the design. This pumpkin comes wrapped with her own curled ribbons on top. I love observing pumpkin stems. Such a little thing supports such a big thing. […]
Aflame
In May, she quietly houses Northern Cardinals, but in October, she sets herself aflame in autumn color. Can you believe the difference? In one season, this bush serves a particular quiet purpose. In another season, everything about her–even her look–changes. I think about this particular season when I feel aflame with a stressful schedule, too […]
A Meal to Deliver
Several years ago, a friend delivered a delicious meal to our family after the birth of my second child. We loved this meal so much! After all these years, I still think about this one meal. I recently heard that everybody tends to bring lasagna to neighbors who need a meal (and sometimes lasagna gets […]
Every Moment Sacred
Last night, some friends discuss the sacred. We wonder if every moment might become sacred; we consider how even grocery shopping and washing dishes might be set apart with the power and presence of God. Can we have sacred moments in our ordinary routines? Yes! Yes! We invite God into it all. I look into […]