It's 5:15 am when the alarm goes off, chasing off the last remnants of a beautiful dream of walking on warm summer sands in the light of a glowing sunset. And just like that, Summer. Is. Over. My eyes strain to focus on the ceiling above as I fight an urge to pull the sheets back over my head. But no, I must get up! I must get up because… it's time for school again! I imagine other … [Read more...]
Shine {Guest Post}
Read below for a guest post from Lisa Bonnema. Today was one of those days I feel like God gave our family a secret. A secret that is available to anyone who wants to pay attention, but a secret that we get to live and breathe and feel in the depths of our souls. Today, I sat in an audience and watched my baby dance. On a stage. In all of God's glory. The baby I cried for and … [Read more...]
This Day
If you're anything like me, you've laid awake at night wondering what is going to happen with that precious little one of yours. It can taunt us, this unknown future. Will my boy ride a bike? Will he have friends? How am I going to give her care as I get older? Will she be loved? For a long time I obsessed with predicting just how much time we had left with our son Calvin. Images of … [Read more...]
How to Find Prosperity in Hardship
Maybe you are familiar with the amazing promise of Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Like me, maybe you've prayed this promise over your child's bedside at night. When my daughter Elise was born, I was given this verse in a beautiful frame that now hangs on her bedroom … [Read more...]
Reality Check!
“When you wake up, you’ll feel like a truck hit you, but each day you’ll do better and better and heal well," was what the doctor told my mother-in- law and I about how she'd feel after her heart surgery. After surgery, I asked mom how she felt and she replied, “The doctor said I’d wake up and feel like I was hit by a truck. That’s true, I do, but we failed to ask what size truck it would be!” … [Read more...]
I’m Running Away From Home
That’s it! I’ve had it! I can’t take one more day like this, so I’m running away from home, and I'm never coming back. You know the type of days I’m talking about. These are the kind where everyone wants a piece of you, and there’s not enough to go around. First, there are my oh-so-needy kids. Despite their age, I can barely use a bathroom without them requiring something of me. “Mom! I’m … [Read more...]