In May of 2016, our daughter, her husband, and their one-year-old son moved in with my husband and me. Not for a few weeks or months until they found their own place to live. But permanently. Forever. As in, we are here to assist them while they raise their family, and they'll be our caretakers when we can no longer care for ourselves. When people hear about the arrangement—even though we … [Read more...]
We’ve Moved to KeyMinistry.org
We are now part of the Key Ministry family and all our new content will be featured there. We'll leave this site up as a resource and hope you'll join our team of writers at our new home. … [Read more...]
Unexpected Traditions and the True Meaning of Christmas
A year ago, my left hand was in a cast to recover from surgery to reconnect the thumb tendon I'd severed in a kitchen accident. A back injury had incapacitated my man-of-steel husband. As a result, we wisely decided to forego decorating the house for Christmas. "It's only for one year," we told each other. "We'll do things up right next year." Those were, dear readers, our most Famous. Last. … [Read more...]
Today I Choose To Be Grateful
Today my arm muscles ache, my blood sugar is higher than it should be, my feet hurt, and my heart is overflowing with happiness. Why? Because my dear niece got married on Saturday night. She is my daughter's life long friend, so when she asked her aunties to make forty pies for the wedding reception, I responded the only way an auntie can. "Yes," I said without hesitation, knowing full well … [Read more...]
The Pressure Cooker Effect
In May our daughter, her husband, and their fourteen-month-old moved into the upstairs of the roomy, old farmhouse where my husband and I live. With their arrival our quiet, empty nester lives were dramatically altered. I couldn't be happier. Over the summer I observed how parenthood has changed my daughter and her husband. They are no longer young adults in single-minded pursuit of their own … [Read more...]
When You Know Too Much
This summer our family embarked upon the grand adventure of multi-generational living. It began in May when our daughter, her husband, and their then 13-month-old son moved into our upstairs as they transition from starving graduate student status to starving artists status. The adventure is going well, everyone is adjusting, and my husband and I love sharing every day life with our … [Read more...]