I swirled purple paint around the middle of the ceramic plate, wondering how I was ever going to display this enormous dish. My husband sat across the worktable, thoughtfully brushing blue onto his mug. Painting pottery was something he had …
Find Your People
Have you ever heard of neuroplasticity? This word that sounds a lot like a Harry Potter spell actually describes our brain’s ability to change over the course of our life. To adapt. And because of this attribute God gave our …
A MOPS Story: Lifelong Family
Twenty years ago, we moved from Seattle to Indianapolis for my husband’s job. We had two small children, ages 3 and 1. Our closest family was over 1000 miles away. It was a little overwhelming! Thankfully, a friend suggested I …
My Last One
The last first birthday celebration is coming soon. One. One is big. It’s a celebration of having survived so many sleepless nights. It marks having made it through a whole slew of firsts – first cry, first smile, first roll, …
The Womb Time That Winter Brings
Winter has a way of reminding me I can’t control every aspect of my life. Ever since I was young, I have loved the seasons. The unique feel, tastes and rhythms of nature have always whispered to me that there …
A Double Blessing
I became a MOPS mentor completely by accident. Imagine a mother of college-aged kids (that’s me) crashing a MOPS meeting with the sole purpose of introducing herself to the guest speaker, who happened to be a published author. As I …
The Day I Stopped Talking
I imposed a 24-hour “No Talking” rule on myself, and this is what happened … I’ll start by owning that at least a strong part of me is an 8 on the Enneagram (“the challenger”). As such, the emotion that …
A MOPS Story: the Power of Intention
Here’s a story of a mom not unlike some you’ve heard before, but it’s worth telling. This mom was struggling; she wrestled with fear and self-doubt and sat in a place of “am I enough?” as a woman, wife and …
When My Five-Year-Old Evicted Jesus From His Heart
It was bedtime and it was my turn to tuck the little man in. We usually lay down with him for about 10 minutes before he sleeps. He uses that time wisely to ask for stories and make up some …
How’s the View
At a local coffee shop on a recent Saturday morning, I sat at a round table cradling a coffee mug and gabbing with friends. The café buzzed with activity, and our table mirrored the energy of the room. One friend took …