Our minds play tricks on us. We've had so much fun that we think if we can just stack all the same blocks in exactly the same order, we can recreate that fabulous experience. But, the next time round, we aren't the same people. Even if we manage to stack those same blocks in that … Continue reading The Journey
Category: Parenting
Sifting Shifting Sands
I look at the calendar and question whether I must be in a state of deep denial: Teen has only a handful of school days left, then a few days of finals, before he graduates high school. Fifteen days, including weekends, before this long leg of the journey comes to an end. Oy, I just … Continue reading Sifting Shifting Sands
Art Therapy
Dr. Seuss writes, "Oh, the places you will go!" which I echo, "Oh, the places our children will lead us..." Before Teen was born, I could never have imagined that he would lead me hunting for and racing snails, and later, in search of snakes in the jungles of Costa Rica. LaRae Seifert was Frank-ly surprised … Continue reading Art Therapy
Pursue Wisdom
I just came from a Boy Scout Eagle Court of Honor in which ten boys received Scouting's highest honor, the rank of Eagle Scout. Teen became an Eagle last year, so I recognize how much hard work each has invested to bring them to this day. As a mom, I understand what this day signifies … Continue reading Pursue Wisdom
Carried Away
Today our middle school will hold the 6th grade dance, the one-and-only dance of the year for 6th grade students. Which reminded me of this story I wrote a year ago, when Tween played an unexpected center stage role in tween-age drama. It felt too raw to post then, and too likely to cause offense among … Continue reading Carried Away
What We’ve Learned about Sleep
Most parents coach their infants to consistent sleep patterns and take their high school graduates to college. Tween didn't learn to sleep, so in middle school we took him to a major university to participate in research on teen sleep. Every child is different, right? Teen was a great sleeper from Week 1 (or maybe that was the … Continue reading What We’ve Learned about Sleep
ReBuild: Mexico 2017
One of the best things our church does fills one week with life-changing experience and takes the rest of the year to plan, then debrief, before planning the next trip: our spring break house building trip to Mexico with Amor Ministries. This year, as in most years, about 250 high school students and adults built hope, … Continue reading ReBuild: Mexico 2017
Thankful Thursday – Beach Therapy
I am a beach girl, all about toes-in-sand over body-in-water (although I have heard stories of little me evading my parents' grasp and running headlong into the waves, fully dressed and shrieking with delight). With proximity to the shore, I breathe differently: deeper, more fully, relaxed. Robinson Jeffers wrote, "The tides are in our veins," and I … Continue reading Thankful Thursday – Beach Therapy
Found!
If you attended our church this morning, you heard Guy preach this story. If you know me well, you may have heard me tell this story. Having studied Luke 15 earlier this week, this story has lingered on my heart. It has become a touchstone of faith for our family, a reminder of God's love and … Continue reading Found!
On the Go
To my senior quote in my high school yearbook I included Matthew 28:20--"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." With life as I knew it coming to an end and a future on the horizon I could barely imagine, I relished the comfort that Jesus would always be with me. No matter … Continue reading On the Go