There they were in the local Walmart. Two young siblings arguing over a toy. Tempers were flaring, voices were raising, and then, it happened. One of the little tots smacked her sister in the face and grabbed the toy away. A somewhat embarrassed and aggravated mother quickly took the young offender by the arm, pulled her closer to her sister, and demanded:
“Say you are sorry right now.”
New textbooks line the shelf. Notebooks are crisp. Pencils are sharp. The dawn of a new school year is here. While there is a sense of excitement, I know it comes mingled with other feelings and doubts as well. I know that as you flip through the pages of your new books, your stomach tightens a bit as you stare at the unfamiliar, and somewhat intimidating material. I know that your mind is spinning with all that you need to accomplish this year. I know that you wonder if you will understand all of the new concepts. I know that you question whether you will be able to handle the load. You wonder if you know as much, more than, or less than your public and private school counterparts. You wonder where you stand. You anticipate that school will rule your life, occupy all of your time, leave you with little time to just sit, relax, and breath. You wonder if you can do it.
Continue reading “A Note to My Son As We Begin Another Homeschooling Year”
My eyes quickly scanned the email. I felt my heart begin to beat a bit faster as I digested its words. I had been selected as a finalist in Good Housekeeping’s Cook Your Heart Out contest. This meant I would receive an all expense paid trip for two to New York City and would have the opportunity to participate in the final cook-off to win some money.
Continue reading “Sharing the Gospel with Those You Are Close To”
Our family is in full-on Olympic mode.
We’ve allotted a bit of time each evening to watch some of the events together as a family. We recently scrolled through a list of the events, and the boys were shocked to see medal bearing competitions in badminton, trampoline, and ping-pong…I mean table tennis. We decided to take a quick peek at the table tennis and badminton events. The boys remarked at how silly they thought these competitions were.
Continue reading “Allowing Our Children to Feel the Sting of Losing”
A few years ago I had the crazy idea that I would like to try my hand at gardening. That was a laughable proposal. I don’t have the best track record with plants. After neglecting houseplant after houseplant and watching them wither up and die, I finally declared to my husband that the only things I was responsible for keeping alive were the kids.
As I wake up this morning to the news of last night’s shooting in Dallas, I am yet again saddened. I am saddened for the loss of life. I am saddened for the families. I am saddened that there will be a void in the lives of some, a vacancy once occupied by a dear loved one…a husband, a wife, a sister, a brother, a friend, a neighbor, a mother, a father. I am saddened by the state of our country. I am saddened that this story has repeated itself so often. I am saddened that I must once again sit down with my children and forcibly pry their eyes open just a bit more to show them the reality of the world. I steal a bit of their innocence every single time we have these talks.
I saw you at the pool today walking with your friend. Your body barely filling out the teeny tiny string bikini you were modeling during your numerous walks around the pool grounds.
A poor widow. Two small, seemingly insignificant, copper coins sat inside of her hand. She was among the others who had come to present their offerings at the temple treasury. Others had more than her; many gave more as well. Yet, Jesus was there watching,…observing. He saw the rich give much. He saw the widow. She gave but a few cents…all that she had…those two small coins.
Father’s Day comes and goes each year. It’s one of those bittersweet days. I love to celebrate my husband and the wonderful dad that he is to our boys. Yet, inevitably, at some point during the day, I reflect on my own dad. Our journey as father and daughter was an interesting one. I learned some of life’s greatest lessons from my dad. Our story is marked by a sad beginning, a turbulent middle, and redemptive ending. I hope you’ll stick with me.
It was nearly dinner time. For the first time ever, I wasn’t sure what I was going to serve for dinner. It wasn’t for a lack of inspiration or that I hadn’t planned, it was because my pantry was nearly bare, my refrigerator was just about empty, and my freezer was a vacant wasteland. I had three little mouths to feed and an empty wallet. Payday was tomorrow, but I still needed to get through today.
Life in the Van 