A Birthday, Father’s Day and a Due Date
Today is a day of mixed emotions. A little girl’s birthday. Father’s Day. And a due date that did not result in a birth date. If I could go back to this date three years ago, I would cry all the tears I wanted to cry…
There’s no doubt that having children makes life ten times more difficult. For every second that I have my back turned, ten minutes worth of destruction occurs. For each toy that my children put away, there are ten more they toss on the floor. For every dangerous object…
I’ve felt a little bit like my high school self lately. Not the carefree one that I always picture in my head or the one that (supposedly) didn’t care what people thought. But the one who was always looking around, feeling small, wishing I looked like…
No Mom, I’m Busy
After a busy morning of running errands, complete with toddler meltdowns and a brief episode of panic when I momentarily lost sight of my older one, I looked forward to spending the remainder of the day at home. I fed the kids lunch and as usual they dished out an…
When life gets uncomfortable it’s easy to busy ourselves in order to escape whatever discomfort we are facing. Work. Hobbies. Fitness. Social media. Organizing. Rearranging. Shopping. And whatever else we can think of to do. I found myself in that place today. Because, you know, kids. And summer…
Letting Go of Guilt When a Memory Brings More Joy Than Pain
There wasn’t much that I shared with the Facebook world after losing Micah because, well, my life was far from picture perfect. The doom and gloom of pregnancy loss doesn’t really interest people, and I didn’t have the energy to pretend that I thought…
Sometimes you just need to eat the cookies. Like these ones that were delivered to our front door by a woman who identified herself as a member of a nearby church. She and the gaggle of youth group girls who accompanied her were out canvassing the neighborhood, inviting people to…
A Final Thought at the End of Another School Year: I’m Going to Miss This
Most mornings I look forward to dropping this girl off at school because let’s face it, there is some relief in knowing that my hands will experience just a bit more freedom while she is occupied and cared for by another. But every morning for the past nine…
A toddler’s thighs that have lost their disguise. And grass-stained knees matching the green of the trees. These are the signs of spring. Naked arms that are touched by nature’s fine charms. The breeze and the sun making the stress come undone. These are the…
“How about this shirt?” I said to my daughter as we ransacked her room in search of a clean shirt. “That’s a fat shirt,” she stated and refused to wear it. “A fat shirt? What does that mean?” I asked. “It makes me look fat,” she responded. “And…