“This traffic is terrible!” my husband stated flatly. “I think we can turn right and bypass Main Street.” “There’s a detour ahead,” I replied. “I’ve seen the signs the last few times I’ve driven up to visit.” The traffic wasn’t surprising really. It was half past five and we were headed into the mountains, a …
Baby Boy
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas means different things to different folks. We don’t have many white Christmases where I live. Stores have been stocking shelves for Christmas since the end of summer it seems and we still had temperatures in the nineties. Church nativities started popping up around Thanksgiving and yard scenes …
Spent
“Why am I so sleepy?” I wondered aloud to no one in particular. I feel like the toddlers look when they’re needing a nap but not wanting one. When it’s half past five and it’s pitch black outside and the overcast and cold have sapped my energy, no amount of caffeinating can kick my sluggishness. …
Yes Man
Timothy, at not quite two, is a well mannered southern gentleman. When his mom asks him to do something, he says yes ma’am in his sweetest voice, usually without being prompted. His vocabulary is expanding rapidly and though I sometimes need to ask his mom to translate, he makes himself understood with more patience than …
Under Authority
Amelia would make an excellent podcast or talk show host. She pulled her little chair up in front of mine in the garage today while Ezra was napping and said candidly, “Yolly, I want to ask you a question.” “What would you like to know?” I asked. “What does a snake eat?” she queried. “Mostly …
Undeveloped Fruit
Many figs remain on the now barren branches of my fig trees but the fruit is no good. Either it never ripened or by the time it was ready, it tasted fermented. We were concerned when the harvest season began later than usual. During the first few weeks, we enjoyed gallons of delicious fruit, sharing …
Never Fear
Timothy and Ezra, nearing two, crave independence. They are big enough to walk on their own but resist holding hands when it’s necessary unless they’re sleepy, and then they prefer to be held. Observing them playing, you might call them fearless. Running headlong down our fairly steep concrete drive, their own momentum making it difficult …
What Scares You?
Remember packing for camp when you were a kid? Me neither. My parents did the work of making sure I had all the necessities and usually one or both chaperoned so I did not have to look far if I needed anything. More than once, I shared my things with a friend who had done …
Gain Your Footing
Our home was established thirty-four years ago when my husband and I married. We have inhabited many different dwellings but as the old saying goes, home is where the heart is and my heart is forever bound up in God-ordained oneness with Paul’s. In fact, these words were clearly communicated in our marriage vows. ““But …
Where Was He?
Before I leave to pick up Amelia and Ezra a couple of mornings a week while their mom goes to the gym, I have learned to close my bedroom doors and latch the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs. Little Ezra is quick and he is quiet. Once he’s inside, he usually goes …
A Fitting Reply 