Like a bad house guest, sickness never shows up when it’s convenient and tends to overstay its welcome. When it finally does decide to leave, it takes a few days for you to even catch your breath and clean up its mess.
But this is my superpower! I mean, I can get right in there with my kisses and hugs and come out unscathed. And while I stand and pray over their small fevered bodies, I assure them that their sickness won’t last forever and that, “The birds always sing in the morning.”
And after I tuck them in at night - fevered and all - and walk out of their room - I feel good. Like good moms who love hard do……
Read MoreI once had a dream of attempting to fly a red, plastic kite. I’m sure you’re thinking of the kites you find at dollar stores with the flimsy plastic, white string, and yellow handles. However, this red, plastic kite was not like any other kite you’ve ever seen. This kite was made out of a much thicker plastic, and the shape of the kite was more like a rubbermaid storage tote. Yes, I was attempting to fly a red, plastic rubbermaid storage tote! (The strange details of a dream never fail to amuse…)
But back to my dream…everyone else could fly their red, rubbermaid storage tote of a kite. But then there was me…and I could not……
Read MoreSome days are hard and full of challenges. The storms rage and the power shuts off. Sometimes the fun is cancelled, the cinnamon rolls burn, and the gifts don’t arrive on time. And in those moments, we need to count our blessings, and not our disappointments. Yes, we have to make the most of it……
Read MoreI’m as much racist as I am fat…and you can use my ribcage as a washboard and could douse me with a firehose and I’d still weigh a buck ten, soaking wet.
To say, “I don’t see color,” is to say that I don’t see a colored person.
I don’t see them as an individual…as uniquely different…as someone who has been “fearfully and wonderfully made” in the image of God.
Yes, I don’t see them at all……
Read MoreThe definition of fog (according to Google) is quite simple. It’s a thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface which obscures or restricts visibility.
But the feeling of fog is quite surreal. It’s cozy with a slice of eerie to it. And it’s what I woke up to on Wednesday morning last week.
I had stayed up late and woke up early to spend some quiet time with Jesus. With just the sound of a fresh pot of coffee brewing, my cat, Charlie, purring on my lap, and the sound of the furnace keeping the house at its overnight 65 degrees, I sat in our Great Room and looked out the window. The sun hadn’t yet crested our timber’s ravine, and I felt like I had the entire world to myself. Well, to myself and Charlie, that is……
Read MoreI realized that wearing my own big girl panties meant that we had to cancel our vacation. And the denial I was in was soon replaced with disappointment. Deep disappointment. The kind that has you sobbing in the tub after the kids go to bed.
Call me selfish or spoiled…but there I was, feeling every bit of it.
The definition of disappointment is: the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations.
I knew that we had made the right, wise…even responsible decision! But being completely honest - there was some sadness and displeasure that accompanied it……
Read MoreDistress welled up in my voice and I cried out, “Jeremiah!”
I couldn’t even form words … but thankfully, 13 years of living together as husband and wife filled in the blank. I was able to get out, “Josiah’s not in here!” at the exact time my husband was rushing out of the room. I watched him sprint out of the room - wearing only his t-shirt and underwear - in which I called out after him, “You’re in your underwear!”
I guess desperate means really do call for desperate measures……
Read MoreI woke up early to my Devotion this morning - like I’ve been doing for nearly four consecutive years now. I’ve had Sick Days, Skipped Days, and I’m sure days where it may have been more beneficial for me to stay in bed and get that extra hour of sleep. But regardless, I woke up to the alarm I had set on my phone - and got out of bed to shut it off before waking up my husband.
I went into the bathroom to pee, brush my teeth, and wash my face. The house was dark and quiet and as I tiptoed down the long hallway, I wondered if it was going to be another cold February day……
Read MoreI didn’t catch his name, but he looked like a Travis. He came into the Odell Public Library and sat at one of the computers - three chairs down from me. And as he began to talk, I couldn’t help but lean into the conversation that was happening only 6 feet away.
Travis had waltzed into my right peripheral and greeted the boy across from him with, “If you hear me talking, I’m not talking to you.” It was more of an explanation than an apology.
He went on to tell the boy sitting across from him (let’s call him Brad) that he was going to message a girl. And his voice had a kind of sing-songy tune to it. It was heard over his very distinct lisp……
Read MoreI recalled that I had slipped my grip on His grace - and was attempting to Supermom all on my own. When in fact, all I had to do was rest in the promise that His strength through my weakness was exactly enough.
My questions Am I doing the right things? Am I doing enough things? buckled under the weight of His gentle and comforting answer:
“There’s grace for that.”
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