My son John and his wife, Alysia, came for a week after Christmas with their four little ones, ages six and under. It was a chaotic, energetic, noisy, exhausting, and absolutely wonderful…
Faith
Three Books about Three Women
While it’s cold outside, sitting by the fire with a compelling book to read after the kids are in bed will bring you warm rewards the television cannot offer. Here…
The Need for Prayer
The phone rang at 8 p.m. I heard the broken voice of my son’s best buddy, and he said that his grandfather was really sick and wanted to know if…
One Small Solution to Stuff-itis
This week as I carted the new Christmas toys upstairs, contemplating where to store the new loot, I felt somewhat heavy and divided, as I have occasionally after Christmas. My children are…
Poised for Radical Love
She hurt me. To this day, sometimes when I think about her, fear folds itself around my chest. Though sometimes I have to choose to forgive her again, I believe…
Christmas Joy has Nothing to Do with Presents
Christmas is my favorite time of year. I so enjoy the sights, sounds, and pleasant dispositions of all those around me. Christmas is a time filled with joy. Strangely, today…
Giving: A New Kind of Shopping Spree
One of the feelings I hate is what I’ll call the after-Christmas glut. It’s a little like that feeling you can get after a Thanksgiving feast: I reeeeaaally ate too much. I…
Thanksgiving Memories (a.k.a. Dinner’s Ready When the Fire Alarm Goes Off)
Before autism turned our world upside down, we did a fair share of entertaining. I loved filling our house with people and feeding them. The more the merrier. One particular…
Why we Need to Teach our Children About Gratitude
One of the great privileges of my life has been visiting orphanages in countries such as Russia, China, and South Africa. Taking our children to see those little ones who…
Are You Lonely?
Albert Einstein once said, “It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely.” You can be the most active mom on the block—volunteering yourself like…