Just a couple of days ago, our four-year-old announced it was time for her first haircut. It’s not as though we haven’t asked if she wanted a haircut. She was fiercely determined that she would not have her haircut until she her five-year-old birthday even as she tagged along to her brother’s routine haircuts. And …
This week the book fair is at school and I found myself transported back as I wandered the shelves. A first grader showed me a diary that came with a key and I was instantly transported back to wandering the book fair and buying my first diary with a lock. A smile crept across my …
Once or twice a day, I find myself looking into the depths of the dishwasher wondering, “Is it full enough to run?” This calculation is actually pertinent because over the years with small children who help clear their plates, we are down to a single-digit number of forks. Although I haven’t run the dishwasher just …
I got the dreaded “mailbox is full” notification yesterday morning. Between Spring Break and Holy Week, I had let some phone messages pile up and was slowly working my way through those voicemails. In an attempt to get back on track, I scrolled through. my voicemails to see if there were any I could automatically …
Yesterday, it was time. I had put it off long enough. I had to clean the four-year-old’s car seat. Cleaning car seats is probably my least favorite parenthood task and it’s because it’s not just one task. It’s a multi-layered, long series of tasks. First, you have to uninstall the car seat. Next, you have …
As part of the children’s church, our four-year-old brought home a cup of soil where they had planted a seed. The lesson had been about planting seeds of love and kindness and how important that was in bringing about new life and hope in people’s lives. The idea was that we could be the sunlight …
Last week, I decided to take some time to bake cookies. Baking is something that calms me and brings me back to waiting and watching for something new to be created; a practice that doesn’t come naturally to me. I have been baking my family’s chocolate chip cookies for years and can make that recipe …
We enter into the center of Lent, recognizing we aren’t to the end yet. We stay in the darkness of Lent, even though it’s uncomfortable. We trust you are here with us, and that you will be revealed to us again.
We confess that we tire of doing justice. It feels like an uphill battle with too few people fighting alongside us. It is hard work! Renew our strength. Show us the light. Give us hope to keep working to bring your ecosystem here on earth. So that all may be fed, all may be housed, …
I was trained as a teacher to have short-range plans, long-range plans, and a five-year career plan. None of those plans included being called into ministry, going back to school and starting a whole new profession. Sometimes, I am stopped in my tracks when someone asks, “How did you end up here?” because I didn’t …
