Cheer For Us All in May

One of my favorite things about May is seeing what your kids are accomplishing. All the ceremonies and banquets and concerts in real life and all the social media posts by proud beaming parents are absolutely beautiful. I know the joy that I feel this time of year. So many milestones reached. So many goals

My Taxi Service is Losing Business

For more than sixteen years I drove him around. I remember the months he rode in the bulky infant car seat. His head was never tiny but his body was. I would have to turn all the way around and look to convince myself he was actually in there because he was sleeping so soundly.

College Mailers Are Chipping Away At Me

Almost every day these colorful little mail-outs arrive for my son. He’s never gotten so much mail before. He gets more mail than anyone else. Because he’s halfway through his junior year, and the colleges all want our money. The first time one of these little colorful cards arrived in the mail maybe two years

In Between: A Letter to my Daughter on her 11th Birthday

Dear Lydia, I don’t know how my youngest is now in the thick of being a preteen. In my mind and in the minds of so many around us, you should still be “Baby Lydia”, the baby of our little world and community, loved and doted on and adored by all the big brothers and

Potty Training with Really Ugly Cats

When Abby turned two, we moved to a small island in the West Indies. We traded all that was familiar for something new. Although Abby was barely potty trained when we left, this transition to a completely new life meant that potty training  “came undone” as well. At that age, Abby loved cats and all

Parenting in Uncharted Waters

This is one of those weeks where it feels that as parents, we are entering many uncharted waters. Uncharted waters are different than deep waters. Deep waters are over my head. There are plenty of those times too. But right now we are in a stage of simply new waters. I cleared my calendar and

Keep Your Eyes On Me

When my daughter Lydia was four years old, she sang a solo in our church for maybe the first time. She basically had no fear. She had the confidence, the love for music and the voice to go with it. I talked to her ahead of time about how she might feel when she was

That time we made our kid buy bread from us…

A funny thing happened last weekend. We were preparing to have some friends over for our infamous grilled cheese bar. As someone who is a pretty decent cook, I never imagined that it would be my grilled cheese that became requested and anticipated, but that’s the glamorous life I live. In preparation we bought several

Mom Confessions: Last night I snapped, and today I’m cleaning up the mess.

Last night I snapped. Big time. Nathan has been gone all week.  After school yesterday, I stayed busy taking care of all the things. I worked steadily all evening, but it was under control. Until it wasn’t. At 8:45 P.M.  I tucked the youngest into bed. I started on the pile of dirty dishes. I wondered

When God is Speaking, But It’s Past Bedtime

This is the story of God’s work in Abby. You can also read my posts about Lydia and Samuel. Abigail accepted Jesus in the June just after she had finished kindergarten. The previous week, Abby had attended VBS at our church. I know that God used that week to do some final preparations in her and soften