Quiet is probably about the last thing I think of at Christmastime. There’s hustle and bustle and seemingly a million things to do to get ready. But you know what? Very few things on the list actually get me ready for the coming of our Savior. I think of a line from the beloved song...
In college, I was part of a Bible study in which we were each challenged to keep track of things we were thankful for throughout the month of November leading up to Thanksgiving. My roommates and I decided to take on the task with small 1”x1.5” sticky notes adhered to our large...
A condition we all experience from time to time is the fear of missing out. Children are often not as easy to get down for a nap when there’s lots of activity because they don’t want to miss anything. They are eager to go on every errand even to the “boring” places...
My husband has a love for and great patience for gardening. It’s a great off-set to my totally black thumb. He tills and plants, weeds and waters, tends and picks, all for the rewards of the harvest he will reap. And I get the blessing of enjoying all the yummy vegetables and fruits he...
The beginning of the school year is right around the corner. It’s hard to believe that the summer days are almost gone and we’re starting back into the hustle; we’re trying to get our last moments of retreat in. As we try to capture those moments of rest before the schedule...
We had a flag pole in my front yard growing up; a full-size, raise it and lower it kind of flag pole. My grandpas both served in the military and fostered in my parents a great pride in our country. My parents always wanted to fly a flag to honor our nation. They took great care to teach us...
Think back to the summers of childhood—what happy days those were! Summer was a time when our schedules changed from the jam-packed day-to-day routine of the school year to the less-scheduled more leisurely days for an expanse of time that felt like it could last forever. The name of the...
This is the time of year that we look around us and see so many things growing and blooming—the trees, the flowers, and baby birds that are just hatching. It is also often the time of year that we look at the children around us and realize how much they’ve grown, learned and changed...
As spring approaches, something else approaches…wedding season! And that means this time of year is the primary time for bridal showers. This is a tradition that started primarily for women, but has expanded and now often includes the guys as well in couples showers (though my husband...
The “luck o’ the Irish” is a big theme this time of year. Living in the city with the largest Irish festival outside of Ireland I saw that theme being lived out all year long. People go to extreme lengths to do something lucky or to avoid something that’s unlucky...
