Last week our neighborhood lost power for a day. All day long I walked into dark rooms and flipped light switches out of habit. I’m not accustomed to operating in the dark. As the hours passed, I began to worry about all the food we could lose in the refrigerator. No one was allowed to […]
The Giving Tree: An Advent Celebration
Children are great givers. Oh, they’re takers at times, too (aren’t we all?), but time and again the children in my life have astonished me with their willingness to give sacrificially. And as we stand on the threshold of Advent, we have some great opportunities to celebrate and encourage that beautiful inclination of their young […]
This Not-So-Little Light of Mine
Two weeks ago I went grocery shopping with fifteen stickers on my face. The night before, news had come. It was news about someone I love – the kind of news that etches a mark on your timeline, dividing life before from life after. I was devastated. I woke up the next morning full of […]
Get Caught in the Act
The little people in your life may be different ages than mine, but I’ll bet my to-do list rings a bell anyway: Prepare meals Trick your kids into eating them Hunt for what’s missing Fix what’s broken Spread art supplies on table Clean art supplies off floor Find the source of the smell Shoe little […]
Plan-imus Maximus Meets Spontaneous Insaneous
Spontaneity doesn’t come naturally to me. My mind is linear and logical, sometimes to a fault. I live in the realm of the practical. Flying by the seat of my pants just makes me woozy. Children do not understand this. To them, life is all imagination, curiosity, and magic. This makes a simple thing like […]