The kids are in bed. My husband snores contentedly by my side. The laundry and dishes are all caught up. I’ve brushed my teeth and climbed into bed, only I’m unable to close my eyes for more than a minute. I must be forgetting something. It’s simply too quiet. Everything seems to be in order …
You Owe Me
It gives me pleasure to serve and give to my children and grandchildren. The simple joy I receive is payment enough, but I receive their gratitude and a share of their time as well. Balancing the scales or creating a sense of obligation never crosses my mind. In fact, if anything, we each seek to …
Not What I Want
I experience claustrophobia in moving crowds, more particularly behind moving crowds. When the way ahead is clear, I breathe easier. When my way is blocked by a wall of humanity, even though we are all moving in the same direction, I hold my breath and make a dash for the nearest opening. Shopping malls have …
Lead By Example
I’ve been the mother in the grocery store with the screaming baby, just trying to finish and get home with a shred of dignity, or is it sanity?I’ve since seen mothers in the store with little ones who are past the point of no return and I wonder at the varied responses I see to …
Final Destination
My husband and I applied for our RealID cards to replace our drivers licenses on the same day. Neither of us will ever forget the experience. We tell the story around the dinner table and still get a good belly laugh. The camera operator insisted on taking several shots until my husband smiled to her …
Speaking From Experience
James and John were fishermen by trade, the rough and tumble sons of Zebedee. With these two, everything must have been a competition. Jesus chose them to be among his closest followers and nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder.” (Mark 3:17) Even before they were called out by the Christ, these boys must have been pretty …
Peace Be Still
I slept through Hurricane Hugo on the couch in my parents’ living room under an open window. A tree fell, missing my car by inches. The wind left our yard strewn with downed limbs and debris but I was completely unaware until morning. To this day, I love a storm. I’m grateful for shelter, of …
Small Talk
Thomas, who is turning one, has discovered whispering. It started with one of his counting books. When I noticed his attention waning by the number four, I whispered that particular rhyme and since then, each time I read or recite this book, he looks to me for the whispered lines. This week, in an attempt …
When My Fears Meet My God
I may have snoozed my alarm more than once this morning. I set it intentionally early so I can be awake before my son, Thomas. He’s an early riser most days and I am not a morning person. When I can be up with my coffee and spend a few minutes with Jesus before Thomas …
Venting
My youngest was the last of my children living at home until his marriage nearly two years ago. Jacob and I became venting partners during those last few years after his sister married and left home. Prior to his brain surgeries for his epilepsy, he didn’t drive and I was his Uber to work and …
A Fitting Reply 