Finding Normal Pouring a steaming hot cup of tea and stirring in a little honey with cream starts the day off with utter satisfaction. Heading to my morning spot in the living room I walk past my planner. Taking a glance to see what the day entails keeps me laughing. Most days I think, “Who wrote this stuff!” Smart moms have a plan, even if the aspirations are not always achieved; we still aim high for each day. We always […]
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Above the Noise The evening hour had finally arrived. Chuck and Eva were quietly resting on the couch watching a show before bedtime. I tip-toed away to get ready for bed. I secretly locked the door to ensure quiet if only for few minutes. It wasn’t long before I heard pounding on our bedroom door. Eva had tucked her head into the corner crack of the door saying, “Mommy! It is me! Eva Jewel! I can’t get in!” I couldn’t […]
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“It is not in ourselves that we are anointed to be the best mothers in the world but by the grace of God.” Kellie Copeland Love Them Eva and I were out one morning doing our usual exercise and play. I was in the zone, getting my speed walking in and pumping some iron, five-pound weights (I know massive). Eva was happily occupied in a magical world of make-believe play, when I heard her say, “Watch this Mommy!” The scene […]
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The Photo Album You can tell a lot about a person when you enter their home. On this I am very observant, other things perhaps not, but when it comes to what people value, I am pretty quick. Some homes are deep waters of living life; muddy boots at the door and the latest projects cover a portion of the house. Pictures filled with recollections cover the walls and trinkets are cleverly placed throughout the house so as to be […]
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Life consists in motion…the United States presents certainly the most animated picture of universal bustle and activity of any country in the world. Such a thing as rest or quiescence does not even enter the mind of an American. –Francis Grund “Do NOT take all four animals to the vet at the same time.” These were the famous last words as my husband left the house that morning. How did he know I was planning on taking them all at […]
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It’s a hard, hard lesson But your gonna have to learn it It’s a long cold swim up against the current And somewhere down the line Your gonna have to turn it around ‘Cause boy right now, you’re nowhere bound… -Diamond Rio All Who Wander Are Not Lost. This has become a popular slogan for excusing our inability to be dedicated towards our destiny. Without realizing its subtle deception, we believe it to be a glamorous way to look […]
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“Kiss your kids every night, even if it wakes them up.” – God is in the Small Stuff Eva was not quite one year old yet, and a dear friend of mine, who would babysit for Eva when Chuck and I went out once a week, had come over that particular evening. We were chit chatting before Chuck and I left and I made mentioned that I was exhausted trying to figure out Eva’s schedule; when she would be hungry […]
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I could feel the wind passing by me as if it were going the same speed as I was, only in the opposite direction. My hair was flying behind me, trying to hang on. My tears were being pulled from my eyes, and the parked cars were racing past me like a toy race-car track. At seven years old, this was not a good setup. It was a quiet side road, and our family was out for an afternoon bike […]
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“Our children will one day thank us for staying.” – T.D. Jakes The year was 1973, and my Grandpa had just been given five acres out in the country of small town USA. He’d had his fill of the big city and was country bound. With land now in his possession, he was ready to begin construction on his family’s new house. After walking into the bank to meet with the bank manager, he explained his plans and the banker […]
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It was Election Day. The day when all Americans get to exercise their right to vote. I was in charge of taking our neighbor to the polls that day. Eva and I walked out of our house to load up in the truck and go get him. To my surprise, there he stood. Ready. At eighty-one years old, our neighbor is more at home on the seat of his tractor than the padded couch cushions inside his house. He was […]
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