Food, glorious food. Whenever I talk to people about why they have a hard time inviting people over, notably, someone always mentions food. Do any of these thoughts sound familiar? - I don’t know what to serve. - I’m not a good cook. - What if they don’t like what I make? - How will I ever have it all ready at the same time? - It’s just ...
I wandered through my church lobby on a quest for another cup of morning coffee. It always helps when I have a mission, so I walk with purpose. It doesn’t allow me to feel so alone in the crowd. It’s not like me, this feeling of isolation. Emotionally and socially, I’ve been an island, with occasional jaunts over to the mainland. I pour my ...
It started in such a small way. One evening after football practice, our teen boys barged through the door. I could smell them before I could hear them (think "rotten potato buried in the bottom of your pantry" kind of odor), and they announced that one or two new football friends were joining us for dinner. Without warning, one guy became two, ...
We couldn’t find him anywhere — my nephew, whom I see every day. Our precious blessing with an extra chromosome had wandered deep in the woods. Ten minutes, thirty, forty-five minutes turned to sixty. The minutes merged together as emotions swirled, and desperation descended. Dozens of friends rallied together — searching, shouting, turning ...
Stowed away in the attic for decades, dust floats from the diary that I kept from ages fourteen to eighteen. Paging through memories of old, I'm instantly transported to pivotal successes that were so quickly forgotten, while years of insecurity surfaced in a heartbeat. I need to lose weight and stop snacking. I need to get more organized for ...
"Oh Mom, I just love this magical time of year. It's so cozy with lights, hot chocolate, movies and our special family traditions!" My heart warmed as I agreed with our youngest daughter. So when our Sunday school moderator asked me as their Mentor Mom, "How do you keep the Christmas story fresh for your children?" I knew he didn't mean, ...
Our house sits in the middle of some fairly dense woods. We call it “The Homestead” and with five children, it’s offered up a haven for every kind of fort building activities you can imagine over the years. One afternoon, our son called to me, “Mom, we can’t find Emma. She was just here.” She’s my baby, our fifth child, so I didn’t bat an eye. ...
“Mom, I really don’t want you to invite them to our house. Their kids are kind of weird, and I’m not friends with them. It will be just plain awkward. Can’t you just ask the mom? I mean it. Don’t make me do this.” I sat stunned and frustrated and honestly, a little heart sick as those sentiments spewed from my daughter’s mouth. Here I’d spent ...
I did it to myself, and I knew better. That last cup of late night coffee created my self-induced insomnia, and now I was dealing with its effects. Isn't it something how our bed becomes this magical place where we suddenly remember everything we were supposed to do — problems to solve, relationships to mend, closets to clean — as soon as our head ...
Everyday I look into a mirror. Once, twice, if not multiple times a day, but after last week, I will never look at my reflection the same way again. For five days I was part of a ministry team that deep cleaned apartments for struggling families in transition. Yolanda, a single mom of two boys, was one of the residents, and while we were there, ...
