I'm tired.  Well, the whole house is, really.  We have all caught this flu bug going around, and it really drains things.  It has drained the house of laughter, compassion and patience. It has drained the house of discipline, schedules, and structure.  We are in survival mode.  And let me tell you, survival mode stinks.I'm not just talking about the piling of laundry, dishes and Kleenex.  Although, now that I mention it, that stinks too.I'm talking about … [Read more...]

The snow falls silently - big flakes finding their rest.  The little ones and I are leaving the doctor's office in the evening and I am eager to be home.  I shepherd them to the car, but the oldest lingers.  I had climbed in the car to get the boys buckled in, and was growing impatient when I caught sight of her.  She is six years old, and thinks snow is beautiful.  "Just look at it all!" she says, large flakes landing in her hair, caressing those pink … [Read more...]

I wonder what resources I could use for a family devotional - you know - one that might work for four kids under six.  We have tried ones in the past that leave us reprimanding the kids to pay attention more than instilling in them Biblical truths.  We need one that is consistent, that we don't try a few times and then cast aside in the busyness.I look for more verses for the kids to memorize - which ones will remind them how we expect them to behave?  Or how about them memorizing … [Read more...]

I remember even when she was just one year old she would line up her little toys in a straight line across the floor.  One time when she had turned to get a few more toys, I nudged one out of order.  She looked back, and noticing the one out of order, she glared up at me, pushing it back in line.  We laughed.  When she was two I remember staying in a hotel one night while traveling with my Mom and sister.  She was trying to lay out her small pink blankie - … [Read more...]

It happened just days ago, his little face staring up at mine - searching, wondering and then, there it was - a smile.  Not one of those newborn smiles brought on by gas - but a real one.  He moved his arms frantically, lifted his chin and a small sound escaped from deep within.  A sound that said that all the long nights, the constant nursings - giving of myself to this tiny child have meant something, have created a bond.  He recognizes his momma.  After weeks of … [Read more...]

A few screwdrivers, scissors, nails, tape, batteries, buttons, remotes long forgotten, rubberbands, and more are lying in a drawer affectionately named the "junk drawer".  A basket on one shelf holds loose change, extra pens, more buttons, paperclips, a princess lip gloss, and a token for free ice cream.  I am pretty sure we all have them - drawers, cabinets, shelves, baskets, an area where things accumulate.  Things that may be related to each other, but they are piled or dumped … [Read more...]

A new year sets in, and I find myself doing the same thing I do every year - setting personal goals and making lists of things to finally get done.  Each year the list is similar - sometimes more hefty than others, but always leaning towars over doing it - finish that entire list of Christian books I have not yet gotten to, read through the Bible twice this year, memorize a book of the Bible, write in my journal daily, pray three times a day, etc.  Somewhere in my planning … [Read more...]

Our new little blessing was born just 10 days ago.  This picture was taken just seconds after he was born.  Notice how his fingers are interlaced with one another.  The nurse said she had never seen that before.  I marveled at this little miracle, and wondered about the man he will become.His hands foreshadowed the interlocking of our lives, woven together over time and shared with one another intimately.  Sometimes the fingers slide seamlessly together, interlocking in … [Read more...]

I remember it clearly.  Her warm body, lying on my stomach.  She had been placed there seconds ago, but as I gazed down, I could only see the back of her head and her shoulders.  I had been waiting for this child, this daughter that I began to know in my womb over the last nine months, and here she was.  She entered the world, and I longed to see her.  I asked the nurse, "Can I move her?" - not knowing what to do as a first-time mom, scared that I would somehow … [Read more...]

I have been waiting, anticipating this day. The last nine months of hopeful excitement anticipating the new child in our family, and worry and concern that everything in the pregnancy goes well. It really is a long time – nine months. The day has arrived – my due date, and I am still awaiting this miracle.She waited too, only her wait was much longer than 9 months. She suffered the aching, yearning for a child that lasted years. Through tests, doctors visits, answers that provided more questions … [Read more...]