Parental Guilt… I’m pretty sure I ruined them…
It happens at night. The weight. The worry. The prayer. Mulling over that one parenting decision – would it lead our child to greatness? Or would this one decision be the very thing that leads them down a path into a life of crime, despair, maybe even treason? Sometimes I can reason myself out of […]
Got boo-boos?
Bruises. Blood dripping down. The kids came in and showed off their wounds with pride. Savannah started, “This one I got when we went up the rope ladder and my foot slipped.” Laurentz joined in, “I got mine when I ran into the tree stump going over a huuuggge boulder.” “Well,” I said, nodding with […]
We’re All Special Needs
To the outsider, I looked a little crazy. There I was, running around the lazy river, chasing a 14 year old Haitian boy, his chocolate skin shimmering in the water. I grabbed his muscular body and tossed him under the surface. He came up spluttering with a smile on his face and grabbed me right […]
A love note to those pesky pounds
They remind me of an annoying younger sibling, if I had such a thing. That excess weight, those pesky pounds, those gentle rolls. Like siblings, they showed up at the most inopportune times. The double chin preening for recognition in my prom pics. The bulging tushy in my mortifying teenage bathing suit shot. The flapping […]
I am…. one of those…
I’ve come to a horrible revelation. I am an Evangelical Christian. I mean, technically, that’s what I am. I looked up the words…. Evangelical: Pertaining to or keeping with the gospels and its teachings. Egads, that’s me! Or at least who I want to be. Christian: Believing in, or belonging to the religion based on […]
Chasing Dolphins
Something about them. With wild abandon, playing out in the ocean. Flipping, twisting, joyful. I throw on my snorkeling gear and race into the water. I want to play. I want to reach them. I want to dance with the dolphins. I swim with all my might. Deeper. Deeper. I lift my head. Is that […]
Into the Mess
My friend could barely look me in the eyes. She had opened the door just a fraction. “Are you sure you want to do this?” “Of course I do!” She pulled open the door and let me in. It’d been a long time since anyone had crossed the threshold of her home. After suffering from […]
Extraordinarily hard things
Savannah came up on me as the tears rolled down my cheeks. Like any 9-year-old, she wasn’t quite sure what to do. “Ummm, Mom?” I explained that I was just feeling super mushy about what Jesus did for us. Thinking of all that he went through – the torture, the betrayal, carrying that heavy cross […]
I can fix that
It’s one of those movies that stays with me. I remember when I saw it, with who and where – and that was way back in 2003. Holes. It’s a movie about a young boy who gets sent away to “camp” to dig holes. There’s a whole story woven through history as the boy meets […]
Stupid Valentine’s Day
I remember it well. I was a single mom and it was another stupid Valentine’s Day. I’d been on my own for years and it was getting old. Early on I just avoided everything Valentine. Then I matured a bit and tried to reach out to other lonely souls, sending Valentines to other single moms […]