The meltdown had come out of nowhere. His mom managed bath time as quickly as possible and held him through the snubs that followed. The embodiment of sheer exhaustion, Thomas climbed into bed, giggled once subconsciously, exhaled and was instantly asleep. Thomas will be three next week and he embraces life with such passion. He …
Employed & Exhausted
My youngest child taught me many things but one lesson in particular has come in handy with grandchildren. I was reminded of it when I read a piece of parenting advice recently. Summer days are long and older toddlers who have mostly given up napping need to be employed and exhausted daily or no one …
Know Real Love
Thomas is precious with his baby brother, Timothy. He has a special voice reserved for their conversations and thankfully, not at his usual volume. He wakes up wanting him and throughout the day, he wants to hold baby brother, with help, of course. He’s good for a few minutes of pure sweetness but when he’s …
Same Team
Thomas and Amelia are ten months and ten days apart in age. They’re often confused for siblings but they are cousins. Either set of parents could be theirs and one mom or the other is often asked when we’re together, “Are they both yours?” If either answered yes, no one would question it because they …
Wait For It
Contemplative. If one word could define a person, this is me. My mom recalls my first grade teacher (also her first grade teacher) informing her that I routinely stared out the window of her classroom. She thought I was daydreaming, but when she asked a direct question of me, I promptly gave the correct response. …
Whatever You Want
Ophelia Rose was my daughter’s cat. Crating her was always tricky but she traveled well. She went on many vacations with our family, but she did not love the vet. When I opened the door to the veterinary office, her weight shifted to the rear of her crate and she would start hissing. They managed …
Gospel Conversations & Postmodernism
“Pray for revival in Europe- where faith has faded away and post-modernism has taken hold. Ask God in His Sovereignty to facilitate connections and bless relationships that lead to open doors and gospel conversations.” This caption caught my eye as I flipped the calendar page to the month of November. I am praying through the …
Family Resemblance
Don’t I know you from somewhere? You look so familiar. We chat through locations we frequent, groups we belong to, and places we’ve lived. Nothing surfaces, but still I’m certain that this is not the first time we’ve crossed paths. Have you had this experience recently? I’d love to have a catalog of every introduction …
Forget I Said That
Should I be thankful that I have fewer “I wish I hadn’t said” moments than “I really should have said” ones? God’s divine sense of humor is evident in directing me to Proverbs 15:23NLT for my website and blog, AFittingReply.com. He’s showcasing my greatest weakness for certain, but if He can use my words for …
Different By God’s Design
As a first time momma living in temporary housing with my husband and young son, I experienced one of the scariest feelings ever. What started overnight with a meal that disagreed with me ended with being taken by my husband to the emergency room with severe dehydration and food poisoning. The scary part was that …
