Sometimes I wonder if parents have a special love language toward their children. I’m talking about how good it feels to give them a gift, to help them fulfill a dream. Nothing much like it in parenting, I think. Even Scripture says all parents want to give good gifts to their children (Matthew … [Read more...] about What to Do When the Dream Dies Again
grace
I Grew Up a Rich Girl
Friends, it has been a rough few weeks. I nearly lost my mama to a freak accident on June 21, and just 10 days later I lost my daddy to cancer. It was a blessing to hold Daddy’s hand over his last 72 hours, to whisper in his ear words I wish I’d said years ago, to see my still-healing mama care … [Read more...] about I Grew Up a Rich Girl
To Manage a Mountain
Warm, barefoot summers in Kansas I avoided them at all cost. Those feisty red ants had hills stationed throughout the farmstead. If a kid wasn’t looking where she was going, she got a painful reminder that she was infringing on their territory. Still, I spent hours observing those little guys at … [Read more...] about To Manage a Mountain
Tweaking Tradition, Part 2
Christmas is thundering closer. But something just doesn’t feel right. We just spent five days traveling to the Cleveland Clinic for my heart failure evaluation. Not a journey I wanted to make the week before Christmas. But this is where God has us now, and it’s been a mixed bag with lots of … [Read more...] about Tweaking Tradition, Part 2
What to Remember When Gratitude Is Elusive
Like love, gratitude is not something you feel, it's something you choose to practice. While we would all love to feel thankful on a regular basis, it is the times we struggle to feel it that we realize gratitude is a way of life. I have begun to understand this more and more. It is a fundamental … [Read more...] about What to Remember When Gratitude Is Elusive
Embracing the Seasons
“This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made…” My oldest child’s beautiful voice pierced the strained silence on her first day of Kindergarten. Adult tears flooded the front seat of that minivan as an innocent, trusting faith poured out in the back. With a … [Read more...] about Embracing the Seasons