Sometimes—and especially in these puzzling times—it is good for me to remember that our unlimited God fulfills His objectives through methods we didn’t anticipate. So I open the book of Esther and worship a God who triumphs masterfully in silence. And then I trace His fingerprints in my own journey to observe that He is …
My youngest daughter has now reached double digits in age. But her coming was a surprise to us. We already had four children, and they were finally all in grade school. When this new baby came, I would be almost 42. And my husband is 11 years older than I. We could so easily be …
Our family has spent a week at the beach every year since I was an elementary-school kid. Squeaky, white sand. Sunrises over the water. And often in late July a water temperature in the low 80s. I could stay in that all day long—bobbing on the swells, body surfing the breakers again and again for …
On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I was feeling grateful for a friend’s visit the previous weekend and another friend’s phone call that morning. God had blessed me with the connection of meaningful relationships. Now it was time to turn my attention to family, cooking, and home. One daughter would be returning for her first visit …
(This is my story from last year. You’ll have to catch the next post to hear how my God topped Himself.) If you had told me last week that all our children would be home over Thanksgiving, I would have said, No, not this year. But that’s ok; we’ll see them at Christmas. That’s just …
[Today I joyfully held a healthy, 2-month-old son born to the family in this story. Of course, it also took me back to remembering Joshua and this piece I wrote last year…] The pastor called me from the local hospital where he and his wife, with their newborn son, were visiting a church member dying …
My runs to the store for food may be necessary, but I like to turn them into a puzzle: How can I craft healthy meals on a budget and adjust on the fly to what the store has in season or on sale? What do I need for stocking my shelves longer-term if there’s a …
Mama cries on the last page of every book. My kids grew up with that reality. Fortunately, they were kind or respectful enough to keep any eye-rolling to themselves, but it was predictable. Truth or fiction, biography or novel—the last chapter always brought a crack in my voice and unbeckoned tears. And we read a …
In the days before GPS, I spent a college spring break in a small town in England named Ross-on-Wye. One free afternoon, a host family offered to drive me and a couple friends to a beautiful spot in nearby Wales to visit the ruins of Tintern Abbey. Mrs. Gooch got a little turned around on …
Our family spent a night in the forest far from city lights. The best part of that is seeing more stars than you knew were there. I remembered a mountain getaway, years before, when I bundled my small, sleepy children and carried them one at a time into the cold, clear night to show them …