Gaining a heart of wisdom
A toddler-sized pair of skates wired to an evergreen spray and adorned with a bow -- that's the best I can do! But not everyone is craft-challenged like I am, and Sarah O. Maddox has made a practice of hanging a beautiful wreath on the door of her home no matter what the season as… Continue reading Wreathed in Contentment
Christine unwrapped her sandwich, completely unaware of the scornful expressions on the faces of her Kindergarten classmates. "Mmmmm . . . feta cheese and olive," she thought, taking that first delectable bite. "What's that stinky stuff you're eating," wailed one boy, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "She's eating Greek cheese!" someone announced. "No wonder Greeks… Continue reading Shame-filled to Shame-free
For ten lovely years we were six. I loved being six. In fact, I loved it so much that my email address incorporates our last name and the number six. However, numbers change as children grow up and take flight. After our oldest son married, we were mostly five, but sometimes seven; and when son… Continue reading Living Fully with a Broken Heart
Hanging laundry this morning to riotous birdsong, I carefully secured the corner of each bath towel, and then smiled, thinking of Nana. "You go out there, and you hang that laundry so it looks right." I can't remember -- did we roll our eyes back in the seventies? "But it will dry just fine the… Continue reading A Gracious Plenty
The prosperity gospel is deep in my bones -- not that I technically hold with any kind of "blab it and grab it" theology or the idea that God owes me a BMW. I do know better than that, but truly, I just want to be able to tell you that God has always answered… Continue reading Embrace the Detour
For the past twenty-one years, my designated occupation on our tax forms and all official (and unofficial) documents has been "domestic diva." Given the flashy title, my house should look a lot better than it does, but my fierce and steadfast focus within that job title has been to raise four young men to love… Continue reading Love Them Into Being
A journey through cancer and a journey of joy would seem to be two very divergent paths -- particularly if the cancer is terminal and if it hits in the midst of a season of health and productivity. However, Steve and Sharol Hayner have invited readers into their experience of Joy in the Journey --… Continue reading Finding Abundance in the Shadow of Death
During their years of captivity, the people of Israel needed encouragement. The prophet Zephaniah reminded them of God's presence in their midst, His power to save, and the fact that He rejoiced in His love for them, a joy that was expressed in song! "The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will… Continue reading New Girl. New Song.
Can we find an actor with the earnest manner and unassuming heroism of Jimmy Stewart? Is there an actress with the grace and gentility of Donna Reed to play the female lead? I humbly submit 'Til We Meet Again: A Memoir of Love and War as a candidate for re-enactment on the big screen. Nailing the… Continue reading The Good Wound
When I hear that a mother of four boys has written a book -- that she has poured out words in the midst of putting out small fires -- I'm there. I want to read thoughts that were written while keeping everyone alive, while maintaining infrastructure and rule of law. When my four boys were all in… Continue reading Finding Home
