Daily Thoughts
They Are Slivers of Light
The other day I read a post from singer/songwriter JJ Heller that resonated with me. It was fairly short, but its point definitely hit home. Her first words spoke to the sense of fear and anxiety life too often stirs in us: “There are and always will be things and...
My Genius—Admonished & Admired
In my experience with teenagers, which includes teaching college freshmen and high school seniors, a short stint as an interim youth minister, and now raising up my two girls, I’m just going to go ahead and say it: if a teenager ever refers to you as a genius without...
Solidarity, Sister…
If you have a brother or a sister, you likely have experienced sibling rivalry over the years, whether overtly or rather more discreetly. And, if you are a parent, you have definitely encountered the competition and jealousy between your children; unfortunately,...
They Make Me Feel Like Dancing
Life can feel overly serious at times, and that is one of the reasons I like to look for some of the more lighthearted reasons why I love my teenagers; and there are many as I am learning. As we head into a new month, I have been considering where we are as a family...
They’re a Slice of My Life
For several years, when our girls were younger, I decided it would be fun to make Fridays homemade-pizza night for our family. Years before that, my husband and I discovered the Boboli brand pizza crusts and used those occasionally. We also thoroughly enjoyed...
They Tell Tales out of School
Back when I was a newspaper reporter, I dove into many in-depth feature articles as part of my story assignments, including one story in which I went back to school. Indeed, I was young enough at the time that I attended the local high school for the day as a student...
They Are My Favorite Pun-dits
I think we can all agree that laughter provides a strong antidote for a dreary or overwhelming moment; it can feel like turning a light on in a dark room. In fact, when things feel bleak or out of my control, sometimes I prefer a good laugh to a good cry. Also, I may...
I Can Read Their Anger
Can you remember the first book that made you cry? Perhaps one that caused you to laugh uproariously when you were alone (Confederacy of Dunces, a book one really should read aloud with a friend or spouse)? Or one that really incited your anger (To Kill a...
They’ve Got the Dish on Me
Let’s talk turkey about being a stay-at-home parent, shall we? It’s not quite so glamorous as those 1950s television shows led me to believe. Okay, nothing led me to believe staying at home as an unschooling homeschooling mom would be glamorous. Even so, it’s not a...