“Hurry up! Brush your teeth! We’re going to be late!” “How many times have I told you to put your shoes on already?!” “Don’t make me come up there!” It’s the daily loop that plays on repeat in my house. …
Why Suffering Is Key to a Successful Marriage
“I don’t want us to be afraid of adversity,” my husband says. We’re in the van, on our way home from church, of course, because that’s when many of our fights happen, the boys in the back eating granola bars …
How to Be Vulnerable
“Can I cry?” The deluge of tears and snot began, of course, before this terse sentence had even left my lips. I was mired in a season of life where I felt like nothing but one huge, raw, exposed nerve, …
The Young Messiah: A film review
As a woman and mother, I have wondered, “What was life like for Mary, the mother of Jesus?” An unwed woman – a virgin – suddenly expecting a child. A teenager told by an angel of light that she would …
Noticing the Man In Front of Me
“I still remember the days I prayed for the things I have now.” A spontaneous Friday morning work date. My husband Derek sat across from me in a downtown hotel lobby with Wi-Fi and coffee for the taking, our respective …
Messy Goodness
I am not the kind of mom who likes disorder. Seeing items scattered around the house instead of in their assigned space makes me break into a cold sweat. Frequent usages of my time include organizing the fridge, discarding clothes …
Kitchen Stories
“Mom, will you make the gravy?” The question came during a holiday gathering a few months ago at my daughter’s house, which included children, parents and two sets of grandparents, as well as my son-in-law’s parents, who were visiting from …
Navigating Tough Family Relationships
For some, the most stressful part of the holidays is being together with family. It’s true, families are inherently conflictual. In our culture, we’ve been led to believe that conflict is bad – something to be avoided because it’s the …
When Home for the Holidays Doesn’t Seem Like Home
You lug your suitcase and your child’s duffle up the stairs, knowing you’ll have to make several more trips to get all the paraphernalia out of the car and into place. After elbowing on the light switch, you wrestle the …
Being Present with a Friend in Crisis
She had her hands to her face, and she kept repeating to the lifeguard, “That’s my baby. That’s my baby.” My best friend’s toddler son, my godson, lay blue and unresponsive by the side of the pool, while lifeguards worked …