Gaining a heart of wisdom
Sunlight slanted through the passenger-side window, and a light breeze lifted the pages of the Bible that was propped against the steering wheel to make room for the notebook in my lap. Middle school band practice always lasted 45 minutes -- not long enough to bother going home. And since the older children were all… Continue reading Can Busy Mums Really Find Time to Spend with God? (Part 1)
When we read about women in the Bible, there's a tendency to flatten them out into cardboard characters, one-dimensional and distant. Kate Merrick was in that camp as well, intimidated by the fabulous woman of Proverbs 31, judging Bathsheba, missing the depth of Mary's sacrifice in saying yes to God, and brushing Sarah off as… Continue reading Laughter on the Pathway of Lament
"Write what you know." It's good counsel, and, if followed, results in a kind of authenticity that can't happen if the author attempts to write outside her realm of real-life experience. Maybe that's why people are still reading Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss, a fictional journal that follows the life of Katherine Mortimer from her first entry… Continue reading Stepping Heavenward: A Timeless Classic
Because we started our family later than some, my husband and I are well into our fifties and are still up to our fetlocks in parenting. Because our oldest son and his wife started their family earlier than some, we are also beginning the season of grandparenting. Since I'm a bit over-the-top in the whole… Continue reading Staying Strong in the Seasons of Life
When my thrifty mother-in-law made mincemeat, she would start with the venison roast from a deer who may have had the audacity to nibble on her tulip leaves. From there, she would improvise, adding whatever needed using up on that particular day: a batch of jam that didn’t “set up” just right or an over-abundance… Continue reading Start Where I Am. Use What I Have.
Stop signs and flashing lights preside over busy intersections. Commas and semi-colons mark the collision of clauses. Wouldn't it be lovely if there were some ready marker or built-in gulp of air at the major crossroads of life? Kelly Chripczuk began living the transition from ten years in full-time mothering mode when her youngest children went… Continue reading Chickens at the Crossroads
“These bean plants are a mess,” I muttered. “But, wow . . . lots of beans.” Our eleven rows of Providers (that’s the variety of green bean we always plant) had lived up to their name, but after four pickings, the plants looked tired, ransacked, plundered. They looked like us. I smile when I say… Continue reading Parenting Past the Mid-Point: More Thoughts from the Garden
My grown-up boys have a particular smile that I see whenever they come to the house, and I start hauling food out of the refrigerator. It's a combination of, "She really can't help herself, can she?" and "Well . . . I might be persuaded to eat a sandwich." Even though I can't keep a… Continue reading “Mother” Is a Verb, Too
Encouragement; reassurance; words of wisdom crafted in the trenches. Somehow, Seth Haines knew that this was the gift his wife needed for the Christmas following the birth of their third child -- so he put out the word. Friends, favorite authors, and bloggers were asked for a contribution of hope, a letter from the heart… Continue reading Borrowed Strength for Mothers
Feed the cat. Pick up your toys. Let's get in the car and GO! Such is our hurry-up world that even the tiniest toddler knows what it is to be Busy, Busy. Therefore, Eileen Spinelli's board book is a tool in the hands of wise parents who know that our work, our rest, and our… Continue reading Never Too Busy
Living Our Days 