We thought it was the tree, the gifts, the lights, and staying up late, having pretend snowball fights. But they were Christmas. Our minds never imagined that they wouldn’t be with us. They were Christmas. They were big smiles and happy laughs, perfect gift finders and fun. They were kind, honest, and gave grace when …
To look and really see When is the last time you were in a public place and you stopped to just listen and pay attention? To look around and take notice? On a recent visit to IHOP, I told my daughter to sit quietly and listen. “Listen to what?,” she said. I wanted her to …
On a Tuesday afternoon my oldest said to me, “Mom, you never have a bad day. You are always smiling.” I was quiet for a few minutes. I then replied, “You think I have no bad days?”
Memories that Stand the Test of Time As long as I live, I will remember sticking my hands into brown paper bags at Halloween on my friend’s screened in porch. The eewy, the squishy, the unidentified spaghetti brains, all of it. Epic sleepovers and parties were a staple of my childhood. Our Epic Sleepovers As …
There’s not enough time in this life to teach our children everything we want them to know. And so, naturally, they learn by what we do. They learn by being with us. They emulate who we are or who we are not and should be. Today my daughter and I went to the bathroom in …
Despite our best efforts at joy, some days are simply stressful. It can feel like everything stacks up, and tries to steal our smiles. Take a moment to laugh a little! Enjoy this quick collection with some bits of humor for a rainy day. Find more here: https://www.reddit.com/ Find more here: https://www.canva.com/ Find more here: …
My Parents My parents practice a cool strategy sometimes when my mom’s feet freeze from Parkinson’s disease. The first time I saw it, I doubted it would work. My dad stands in front of mom, holds her hands, and then proceeds to walk backward. Sometimes it doesn’t work at all, sometimes it works slowly, and …
For many years, my oldest daughter has been ready for Disney. Her youngest sister was also ready and like most kids, when the Disney commercials come on with all the magic they want to leave that very minute to go there. For my middle daughter, though, this has never been the case. When those same …
2, 4, 6 Happy Birthday will be here soon. I stay up working on assignments until 1 am and then try to fall asleep. At 2:30 a.m. my oldest daughter rushes into my room. “Mom,” she says, “it’s time to go.” I’m like, “What? No. It’s 2 in the morning.” She says, “No, mom, it’s …
As I get older and life changes and I feel increasingly sentimental, my mind stops me sometimes in the middle of what I’m doing and gives me a slideshow of memories from my childhood. So many of them are filled with my cousins. Cousins are childhood magic. A Large Family When my granddaddy on my …
