Keeping Traditions Even When They Grow Up
Today on a walk, I remember that for the past seven years, I’ve contributed the “Boo Platter” for the classroom Halloween parties. It was never anything special, but if you remember, the Boo Platter became a signature moment; the children begged for that Boo Platter each year. I laughed that while I wasn’t skilled in […]
Creating Hygge: Inspiration from My Danish Friend
I’m currently obsessed with the Danish word hygge–one of the most important words to the Danish soul–that has no equivalent in the English language. My friend from Denmark tells me that the closest equivalent means “cozy”, but there’s so much more to it. The word, I learn, comes from the Norwegian word “well-being,” and Danes […]
Freezing All The Meals
If you’re going to bother to make lasagna, make two! Make four! Freeze them for those days. You know those days. But don’t worry. You just pour yourself some tea, pull out the dinner already made, and relax.
A Note From a Widow that Touched My Heart
The best part of publishing is meeting new people and experiencing fellowship because you’re on a spiritual journey together. It’s a taste of heaven for me. Yesterday, a reader sent me a link to her blog about how Guarded by Christ has helped her think about Jesus as a widow. I was so inspired by […]
All This and Mashed Potatoes
I notice all the little things that make children around me burst with joy after school. It was a long, rainy day, and I arrive home tired and spent. But then, children remind me to think about all the joyful things. Things like: finding not one but two cats asleep on your bed learning that we are, in […]
Prepared for What’s Coming: Forecast and Hindcast
This morning, the Crossing Guard and I exchange our regular pleasantries, and I request a bit of his wisdom–in whatever form it may take. (Yes, I still occasionally walk down the hill with my youngest daughter and send her off to middle school even though the Walk to School Campaign is a thing of the […]
Some Fun Book Updates and a Lesson Learned
Every so often, I know you like to read writing updates and gain some sneak peaks into the publishing and promotion of a book. So far, I’ve had a few radio interviews that you can listen to on Guarded by Christ: Chris Fabry Live! was a great 1 hour interview about how to think about God […]
The Leaf House Memory: Letting Kids Be Kids
I’ve told my youngest that her main job right now is “to be a kid.” She’s only eleven years old, and she talks about exams and her “schedule” more than just playing. She asks if it’s OK that she has no idea what she wants to be when she grows up. She asks about grades […]
Great Things
I’m read a quote from missionary William Carey stated in 1842 : “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” Something about the quote resonates deeply because I realize how small and self-centered both my expecting and attempting remain. I feel the smallness in my soul. So I felt a little stirring, another […]
Where You Find Yourself
Sometimes you find yourself in new, enormous cities, driving in rental cars you secured in the dark night, blazing down interstates as trucks and cars squeeze you on both sides. And all this after airports and luggage and hotels alone, where you stare at the ceiling underneath those crisp, scratchy sheets that feel nothing like […]