For Every Mother
We randomly watched the movie Philomena last night. I had no idea what it was about, but remembered a friend saying how great it was. And it was. Excellent, as a matter of fact, and worth the watch. Philomena, now an older woman, finds herself lost in thoughts of a little boy - her little boy - on what would've been his 50th birthday. Having given birth to him, an illegitimate child, as an Irish Catholic teenager in a much less forgiving time, she was sent to live and work in a Catholic unwed mother's home run by nuns. Allowed to see her son just an hour per day, he was adopted out suddenly, and without her knowledge, as a toddler. This is a true story, in that Philomena was a real...
The Goal
Kevin got home a little earlier yesterday than usual. Having just finished getting the kids' stuff put away, I was actually still in the middle of laundry, and catching up on email and other work stuff, when he walked in. His face is always a welcome sight, but because my heart was a little sad, it was a particular delight. We sat in a companionable silence for a while, after we said hello and he got changed. But once dinner rolled around, we sat across from each other at the table and started talking. It's been an interesting couple of years for us. We discussed some of the things that have happened, and some of the changes that are coming up, and as I sat there, cutting my steak,...
On Making Space
Home. I'm back in it, in my usual spot on the sofa, in an oddly quiet house. The kids' stuff is still everywhere, a task that I will address today, but one that always makes me a little sad. It's funny, but I'm not as tired as I usually am after a long stretch of their care. Certainly, I will relish the quiet of what looks like a rainy (hooray!) day, but I'm really missing them this morning...their sleepy smiles...our little routine. It was in the middle of one such routine that I had an interesting conversation with Lilli. It was night before last (the last together before I left to come back home), and I was getting everything ready for a "slumber party" in her room. After having slept...
His Words (for when you’re feeling worthless)
Every Sunday around here is for His words instead of mine. If you're feeling like you are worthless and don't matter at all, I'm happy to tell you that you're wrong! See? What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries. - Luke 12:6-7 MSG And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." - Revelation 21:5 ESV There is...
Sing
I woke up singing "For the First Time in Forever," which is the prominent song for the "Anna" character in the movie Frozen. It's absolutely no wonder, because I've watched the movie at least three times since the kids have been here, and Lilli continually alternates between it, and "Let it Go." Something new I've noticed, this time around, is the way Lilli sings all the time. She has sung before, of course, but I've really noticed that she now sings to herself while she plays, or works on a puzzle, or colors. Sometimes it's a whole song, but most of the time it's snippets of this and that. I love it because it's a happy way to be. There's a contentment in singing to oneself. What...