“Do we get to have another sleepover?” Amelia asked as I tugged her pajama shirt over her head. “For sure, we will have lots more sleepovers!” I replied, misunderstanding her question. The kids and I had packed up what probably looked like half of what we own to bring the cousins to Great Wolf Lodge …
Mutually Encouraged
My daughter and I know better. When she visits and her boys are in bed, we should not be far behind them. She needs more sleep than she tends to get and so do I. I am able to buy her a little time in the mornings, but her boys will be up with first …
Hand and Feet Washing
My kids are quick studies. They know when bringing their kids to the grandparents, never dress them in good clothes. Play clothes, mismatched odds and ends or soon to be outgrown and already stained, are preferable. Of course I try to be conscientious. I’ll run a load of laundry once the grandkids are in bed …
I Look Like Jesus
Golf ran into dinner time which collided with bedtime. If you have toddlers in your life, you know those acid hours can turn ugly in a skinny minute. No amount of consoling or cajoling can interrupt the meltdown once it starts and forget sleep coming easily afterwards. My son messaged his wife saying he had …
What’s Really In My Heart?
I’ve noticed Amelia repeating herself lately and it occurred to me that she mostly does this when she has something she wants to say but she doesn’t feel she has my attention. She begins a sentence and you might think she is struggling with processing as she repeats the first phrase multiple times before continuing …
Faithful Keeping
My lone son in law, like my husband, is pursuing a career in medicine. He is beginning his ninth year of postgraduate work with one additional year to go. The training experiences and constant testing are overwhelming at times. I know the load I’ve seen my husband bear in order to attain the degrees and …
What Does Repentance Look Like?
“I need to ask you a question.” When the girls and I are together and turn our attention from the children to chat, this is Thomas and Amelia’s favorite interrupter. It’s their attempt at polite manners. “What do you need?” “Timothy was trying to knock over my tower or Ezra jerked that from me.” “That’s …
Did You Go To The Doctor?
II Chronicles 16:9 It’s that time again. My annual cancer screenings are scheduled every June around the date of my initial resection surgery. I still have blood tests and see my oncologist every six months but once a year, I have a CT scan and colonoscopy to be sure the cancer is gone for good. …
Healed From The Inside Out
The Lolly bus rolling one hundred thousand miles has caused me to recollect the places it’s been and the cargo it’s carried over the past eight years. There’s the surface memories: the trek to Houston with Jacob, many trips to the beach and the mountains of North Carolina, and Virginia, bikes in tow to ride …
Shared Stories
Amelia’s courage grew as she reached for the handholds on the rock wall. She gripped tightly to the blue and yellow holds while moving her feet onto the green and red. My husband and I built the playground to last so I had boarded off two open rail sections to keep the babies from falling. …
A Fitting Reply 