NOTE: Today seems like a good day to re-visit this excellent essay Julie shared several years ago. Enjoy! I hadn’t talked with our eldest daughter for several days when she called and asked what we’d been doing. I paused, trying to muster up an answer of substance. Coming up empty-handed, I winced and responded, “The…
To my graduate. You were three weeks old when I finally summoned the courage to head to the coffee shop. I dreaded trying to make sense of what had happened, but I wanted you to grow into a man of depth, of compassion, of character. In order to love this broken beautiful world, we first…
[For an updated Books for Boys list by Julie, check out: Books for Boys 2.0] Finding a great book is like discovering gold, yet acquiring such a treasure rarely happens by accident. Often, we must be wiling to explore uncharted territory. We need a plan. To understand the “why” behind the plan, take a few…
A small plastic bin hangs on the wall in my pantry. It’s the same kind of bin that displays travel-sized toiletries or knickknacks at the checkout registers in stores. Ours, however, is a “snack and candy” bin. It serves as a catch-all for stray pieces of Halloween candy, rejected treats from Christmas stockings, and the…
Homemade egg noodles. Cranberry jello with chopped fruit, served in a crystal bowl. Crescent yeast rolls, perfect for sandwiches made with leftover turkey. The sights and smells of the foods from my childhood have become synonymous with the Thanksgiving holiday. What we grow to know and love when we’re young, we carry into adulthood. Family…
It was a warm April afternoon – the kind of day that woos buds from the earth and birds back home from their sunny southern holiday. A friend, who had recently moved several states away, was in town for a visit. She planted herself in the wicker chair on my back porch. Within minutes of…
It’s been a few years since we’ve updated the Books for Boys list, so we’ve upgraded just in time for the summer. A few thoughts about the list: All books listed would be equally enjoyed by girls. A good book is a good book. However, girls tend to read a wider variety of stories than do…
Don’t believe the rumors. Teenagers are remarkable people. We are currently parenting teenagers numbered three, four and five. It’s an honor and a privilege to watch a child transition into an adult. Messy at times, yes. In a thousand different ways. But the change that takes place is no less a miracle than the butterfly…
There are plenty of scenes from my childhood of which I’m not terribly proud. And then there are those scenes of which I shouldn’t be proud – yet I am. Recently, I was cleaning out our library and discovered a Bible that led to the discussion of one such occasion. The summer after fifth grade,…
It may be ninety-five degrees out but, in my house, fall is in the air. We’re already scribbling on calendars, negotiating carpools, and compiling lists of needed school supplies. We try to be thoughtful and cautious in our planning. However, like first-time parents pledging allegiance to sleep schedules and well-controlled parenting strategies, we’re quickly reminded…
I’ve been a parent for twenty-two years. My husband and I are different parents today than we were two decades ago. Our older kids got the better end of deal in a number of ways. Bad Manners at Dinner Night, memorable (although not always for the best reasons) camping trips, and a well-documented childhood via…
When I married my husband, I married a single dad of two young children. One of my earliest memories of our time together was observing a weekly routine that he had with seven-year-old Ashley. Every Sunday evening, they had a standing date for David to paint her fingernails. Hair still wet from the shower and…
