Braiding her hair in the dark felt like taking up a mantle, here I am, playing the mother. Almost a decade of being a mama to daughters, and in my heart I am sometimes still the girl. I fished out nightgowns for dolls, tucking the freshly clad babies up against a three year old’s shoulders, […]
And She Treasured These Things In Her Heart
Okay, so yesterday I woke up early, groggily whipped out a “Wednesday in the Word” post (which is a terrible name, by the way, but shows just how uncreative I am when it comes to the pressure of titles) while fielding the complaints of two fever-ridden kids and watching Daniel Tiger. That was oh, 6:30 […]
Weaning: Sacred Smallness, Real Life is Now
(post #8) see list of all posts here I have a few posts on Spiritual Boundaries going – one completed – but I need to sit with them awhile before I post. I’m not quite brave enough tonight. “Is your whole series to be about boundaries?” my husband asked. “I don’t know. I didn’t intend […]
Boundaries in Parenting: Sacred Smallness, Real Life Is Now.
(post #3) see list of all posts here When our first son was about 18 months old, freshly weaned and newly a big brother, he started testing his autonomy. As a highly verbal child, he’d been counting to 10 and saying ABCs since his first birthday, adding simple sums such as “ one bus and […]
Practical Principles Form The Backbone of Parenting: here are 3 of mine
We Know So Little About Being Human So there’s nothing new under the sun, after all. Here, a mother’s sense of lostness in the upbringing of her children. From Formation of Character, published 1925: ‘I daresay experienced people get to know all about it,’ said Mrs. Clough; ‘but the mother of even two or three […]
Being Present and Embracing Life For What It Is
Riverbanks The Willamette (will-AM-et) River winds behind the backdrop of my childhood memories, and now it is winding into the memories of my children. It feels surreal on some level, to be back here with my children and living within a half mile of her banks. The scents are heady: water, douglas firs, blackberries; the baking rocks beneath […]
Transitions, Goodbyes
Goodbyes We’ve been in the preparation stage of exiting the army for about 8 months now, and here we are, finally coming down to the wire. All the decisions, all the prayers, all the worry and peace and questions. But here we are, and there’s no turning back. David has a few months left on […]
Living Bravely: the mosaic is wrought through pain
What if Jesus doesn’t want to keep us from pain? What if the Hard Things and Broken Places are where we come to know the Lord? What if he is growing within us a heart full of courage? What if he wants to grow this within our children as well? On April first, just before I […]
Loving Our Quiet Children
The secret things belong to the LORD our God. Deuteronomy 29:29 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. Psalm 44:21 _______________________ _______________________ “It’s just an old ladder–probably put there by the cliff dwellers,” said Bess. Nancy did not agree. * As I moved about the house last night, turning […]
When Mama Goes Crazy
These have been hard days for this mama. The holidays passed and suddenly it was time for school again, long before I was ready. Not that ready was going to happen–my idea of ‘ready’ right about now entails a two week vacation to Italy (alone), and, well, that kind of ready will have to wait. We were asked […]