Wait…Who?
It's so lovely to be back with my tiny people. I've received the many kisses I was after, and the super-endearing wonder-filled faces I always get when they realize, anew, that I'm really here, in the flesh. One of Lilli's favorite things to do on the first day is watch all my videos of her on my phone. She laughs at her baby self in delight every time, as if she's never seen them. One of the videos was of her and her sister playing at a friend's house. She asked me where they were, and when I told her they were at a friend's house, she said "Oh, I LOVE them! They're my FAVORITE!" Then, pausing for a moment of quite reflection, she said, "Who are they again?" Darling, yes, but it makes me...
Hang On
You know those merry-go-rounds that used to be on playgrounds? The kind where you would run as fast as you could to push it and get it going, then jump onto the spinning contraption and hang on for dear life? That's what my life has been feeling like, constantly spinning, so fast that I can hardly see the landscape as it whizzes by. I find myself dizzy and just trying to hang on tight enough so it doesn't throw me off when it finds me in a weak moment. So you know what I'm going to do? Step off the thing for a while of my own accord. I'm going to get my feet on some solid ground by doing one of the things that most helps me gain some purchase and perspective. I'm going to go see my...
On Sacrifice and Love
On this day, thirty-one years ago, my friend had a baby. She was quite young, and the pregnancy unplanned, and the future of the child - a boy - was uncertain in her care. She loved him in all his sweet and innocent goodness, this flesh of her flesh, but she knew that there were other parents, with longing hearts and empty arms, who could provide the life she dreamed of for him...the kind he deserved. So, she placed him in their care, trusting them with his future, and while her heart ached, she knew her sacrifice was right and good. Every day since, he's been right there in her heart and mind, growing up with the seasons, big and strong. A strapping boy with sandy hair? brown? and...
His Words
I've decided something. Sundays are not a day for my words. They are a day for His words. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 NLT Revel in them on this Sabbath Day, and claim them every other second of every other day of the week. Claim them your whole life long.
Step Off
It's much later on a Saturday morning that I typically rise. Usually, regardless of the day, I'm up around 5:00 or 6:00, but not today. Today I slept in. We had our big annual event last night (on top of the regular office responsibilities I've assumed due to staff reductions) and mama is T I R E D. And happy. It went well except for a few comical things that (I hope) made it more endearing to those in attendance, and more, IT'S DONE. This event wrapped up some things in our lives like the ends of a ribbon, tied in a bow. It finds me reflective, this morning, as I think back on many wonderful times just like it, with many more wonderful people. It finds me pondering peaks and...