I’d known it was coming for months—how they’d pass their own milestones this year and graduate. Him, the oldest of the five, towering tall. And her, the youngest, vibrant and sweet. He graduated from high school with all the pomp and circumstance—the tassel-shifting, hat-tossing, and cheering with streamers flying high into the sky. And she […]
Why You Should Go See Mom’s Night Out Movie {Produced by Kevin Downes}
Five years ago, over seventy of us gathered for our 20-year high school reunion. And among those classmates was my friend, Kevin Downes. That night we caught up, as he shared all he’d been doing in the past 20 years, including writing and producing films with his brother Bobby. Kevin told about the coming release […]
How to Have More Contentment in Motherhood {Guest Post by Lisa-Jo Baker}
This coming weekend will mark my 18th year celebrating Mother’s Day as a mom. And while there have been seasons that passed like molasses off a spoon, and others which flew by like a speeding train, in the midst of it all, all of us mamas need more contentment. We need each other. To be seen. To […]
For When You’re Surprised by Motherhood {A Giveaway}
I still remember the first time I saw him. How that nurse picked him up in that striped hospital flannel and handed him to me like he was the sturdiest thing made. I’ll never forget the feeling–that overwhelming weight. Knowing there’d be no turning back, blended with a depth of love I’d never known existed. I […]
On Parenting, Divorce, and Feelings of Failure {The MOB Society}
Divorce feels like failure, and is always full of pain. I know. Matt was three when everything changed–his house, who he lived with, and his daily schedule. I’ll never forget the excruciating moment each Sunday night, as we met in the Thrifty parking lot for me to pick him up from his weekend with his […]
How the Truth Will Always Rise
The first storm of the year blankets the mountain white, and the falling snow rises onto everything. We drive up the hill in the sunshine of the next day, and to this California girl, it’s a winter wonder. Icicles hang themselves in mid-air, and snow sits tall on every branch and rock. It’s perched there, […]
To Slow in This Season, and Reflect
I walk the perimeter of the tiny lake at sunset, and the trees reflect and glow on the surface of the lake’s still water. I walk, and ponder–reflect on my life, and this season I’m now living. There is silence. Ducks split the smoothness in formation, leaving a wake behind them. They are braving their […]
Choosing to Give Thanks and Fighting for Joy
I so clearly remember how I wanted to be a mother. I watched new moms with their babies, and dreamed of holding a new baby of my own. Holding and bathing. Feeding and changing–a life of meeting my baby’s needs. And then, I became a mother. Four children in six years. Months and months of […]
How to Give Grace With Your Words
I walk in the room and I immediately react. I hear his tone the wrong way, assume a meaning he never intended, and respond with words I eventually regret. This is the mistake I make countless times… Failing to use my words for good, Missing the opportunity to give grace to the one who’s listening, […]
When You Want to Run Away {Hope for the Weary Mom}
Dear Weary Mom, I see how you are dragging through your day, worried about tomorrow, and regretful of yesterday. How there’s an endless to-do list always waiting, one child complaining and another yelling. How shoes are strewn and puzzles mismatched all over the floor, with the fridge empty and tummies hungry, because there’s not been […]
