When my sister and I were little, my parents guarded carefully what we were exposed to. I can remember times being led out of the movie theater when they found the advertised “Family Movie” to be anything but family oriented. Many times, they would shut the TV off in the house if something did not meet their standard of what our little eyes should be seeing. On more than one occasion, I have witnessed my father speak up in public […]
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There are some days spent with family that go down in the memory book as simply delightful. We had a day like this not too long ago. It was a day packed full of smiles and laughter as we swung on the park swings and remembered what it was like to ride on the merry-go-round as kids. Eva convinced us that ice-cream with sprinkles would be a perfect ending to our mid-morning outing. The afternoon continued to move slowly as […]
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It is easy to spot a mother of a toddler; she is the one with smoke coming out of her ears. As funny as that sounds, some days honestly feel that way. Most mornings, in my quiet time, I start off by jokingly telling the Lord to just hit the high points on where I blew it as a mother the day before. At Eva’s first pediatric appointment, her doctor looked at Chuck and I and said, “Have you both […]
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It may seem somewhat strange, but I enjoy walking through old cemeteries and reading the headstones. I love to find the oldest grave and imagine what was going on at that time or what it may have looked like around the area. I was doing just this with a good friend of mine awhile back. We were admiring a beautiful old church and passed by its’ cemetery, in the courtyard. I read an epitaph, from the 1800’s, it stated, “Gifted […]
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The ocean view was breathtaking. I could hear the waves crashing on the shore and smell the salty ocean air as I sat on the balcony of our favorite vacation spot. The dolphins were putting on quite a show that morning. Eva was two-years-old and simply squealed with excitement as she watched them jump up in the air and come crashing down into the water! I decided it was a perfect morning for a delicious cinnamon roll from the bakery […]
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CS Lewis said, “The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only – and that is to support the ultimate career.” My mother had the ultimate career. She was always tending to us girls or busying herself with the cooking and cleaning. She wasn’t just a wonderful homemaker. She was the home. One thing she has often told me was, “I may have been the heart of our home, but your Daddy was the glue.” […]
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Without question, if you took each family member of mine and asked them separately what was the “highlight holiday” during our growing up years, each one would say the Fourth of July! All holidays were celebrated in our house and each one carried its own special traditions. However, the Fourth of July was just something extra special. Every year my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Reggie would come up to Pierre, South Dakota for their summer vacation. Usually, they would plan […]
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It is evident, in watching Eva Jewel grow, that she will never bend her head but will always look the world straight in the eye. She has a sheer determination about her. I can see it even at three-years-old. My mother says she is very strong willed. It reminds her of another young lady she knows. She told me, “Not to worry, teach her how to harness it and the finished product will turn out wonderful.” It would be this […]
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As I stared out the kitchen window, looking at the old grill standing guard like a silent sentinel, I thought to myself, “What does your vantage point to the sights and sounds which occur in the backyard look like old friend?” You have been a bridge over troubled waters and a refuge for my family. Light-hearted laughter and conversations float on the sound waves around the patio. Watching Chuck pour charcoal into your belly and seeing the flame ignite the […]
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Chuck and I have never been big on extracurricular activities for Eva while she is so young. For us, until Eva can decide, on a deeper level, the activities that she really enjoys, we will jump, run, kick, flip, and dance in the backyard. There is one ability, however, that we thought to be more of a necessity than extracurricular; that was swimming lessons. We both love water and spend a lot of time around it. Whether taught by a […]
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