They come, a little bewildered, some heralding children yapping at their ankles and running in circles, some almost newlyweds with blank-slate futures while others brave it alone. Obedient to God’s tap on the shoulder, sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s grip of the heart and passionate about the message of Christ’s gospel, they are willing to […]
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My parents weren’t really the “let the consequences teach her” kind of people. They were more the “let’s give her some consequences” types. But since I could always count on what my actions would get me, I had the ability to weigh whether or not what I had in mind was worth the pain. Those […]
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“First,” my husband said listening to my remodeling ideas, “I need to see if it’s a load bearing wall.” My face fell like a house made of cards. In the back of my mind, from the day we purchased this house, I had envisioned our bedroom with a wall removed to double its size and […]
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Recently our family, kids, spouses and grandkids got together at an airbnb for three days of togetherness. It took the form of lots of games, food, and hours of conversation. Kids ran through the house dripping wet, mothers counted them, and everyone ate too much. A hubbub, enough to get my attention in spite of […]
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I stood before my mini-version. Blonde hair curled at the shoulders, bright blue eyes sparkled, and a pleased smile lighted her face. Behind her on the wall splashed brilliant colors in what undoubtedly could hang as a Picasso in an art gallery, but instead it splashed all over my living room wall. She was that […]
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Before the carpenter’s sawdust brushed off, before the wood glue dried, before the grout hardened, the guy I married had to learn a new skill, the pregnant husband trade. Married four short months when the baby test promised more than a case of the flu, we looked at one another in shock. “How in the […]
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I’m a cloudy kind of person. Sometimes something in my soul shuts out the light and then the cloud passes and suddenly it’s as if the glory of the sun explodes inside of me and everything is brilliant again. Gloom is part of my life, shadowy and rainy. But so is brightness. The clouds at […]
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[I’m excited to have my daughter Charity as the guest contributor for today’s post.] I tend to separate my life into BC (before Charity’s illness) and AD (After the Destruction) of Charity’s physical body. Those categories can also stand for Before Children and After Daughters. You see, being involved in Early Childhood I had very […]
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Flour frosted the kitchen like snow. A flour bin, a half-empty bottle of vegetable oil, and baking pans fought for territory on my counter. Little fingers thick with dough punched and kneaded gooey mounds. Lined up, varying heights on chairs and stools, three children made a ragged profile of chattering bakers. “Pooooof,” the littlest voice […]
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“No rest for the weary,” mom sighed. She bent down to pick up muddy boots and move them off the kitchen floor where they lay on their rubber sides, shells without spirits. She carried them out the back door and set them outside on cement steps marked by clumps of wet dirt. We cook, clean, […]
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