I am the mom of eight children—two adults, four teenagers (as of today) and two tweens. Because of the uniqueness of adoption, I have been parenting children from newborns to adults for the past 17 years. During that time, I have had some amazing women as mentors, most important, my own mother. I have been so grateful for the advice, direction, and encouragement of other women as I have walked this strange and confusing journey of mothering. What is a mentor? A mentor is one who goes ... [keep reading]
None of Us Have Done This Before
If I’m being honest, I’m worn out from hearing the word unprecedented in the news. It’s used so much that I’ve become numb to it. Unprecedented times, unprecedented situations… Does anyone else want to go back to normal times and normal situations again…and soon? I recently decided to overcome my dislike of the word and look up its definition. Dictionary.com describes it as “without previous instance; never before known or experienced; unexampled or unparalleled.” Do you know what I found ... [keep reading]
9 Ways to Encourage Your Children to Think Globally
News about the pandemic is reported from continent to continent, country to country, state to state, and city to city. A microscopic virus has quickly spread around the globe; our world has never seemed so small. In all of God’s great beautiful earth, we are now currently homebound, glimpsing one another from afar and from our devices. If you turn on the TV or the news on your phone, you access the world. Current headlines include a teenager being bullied because she looks Asian while a ... [keep reading]
Who’s your Mommy Mentor?
I never went to Mommy School. Did you? (Chuckle.) There’s no such thing, but somehow as women and as mothers, we are supposed to be experts in this motherhood thing. I had the privilege of having a wonderful mother, but when I became a parent, all of the sudden I felt helpless and stuck. Sometimes I felt like I didn’t have a clue! One of the things I love about the Lord is that he always provides what we need at exactly the right time. I have not had the privilege of formal mommy-mentoring, ... [keep reading]
Does Your Heart Have an Open Door Policy?
Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:20 In a society of closed doors, what if I opened mine? I find myself asking this question a lot. I find myself longing for community. Wishing for connectedness and hoping for a circle wider than myself to surround me and envelope me with arms of love and caring. I long for family and friends. I dream of laughter that splits my ... [keep reading]
5 Easy Ways You Can Recharge During the Day
In a recent conversation with a friend, she asked how my kids were doing with distance learning and the switch to doing school from home full-time. I told her they are doing great. The transition has been very smooth. They are staying on top of their schoolwork like champs. I, on the other hand, feel like the rug has been pulled out from underneath me. Before, I was in a nice groove of balancing my roles as wife and mom and staying on schedule with my at-home job. Now I joke that it feels ... [keep reading]
How to Teach Your Children Compassion in Times of Crisis
One by one, the cars pulled up in the food bank line and stopped in front of me. I put bags of potatoes in their trunks and waved them to the next station. We fed over 1,300 households that day. The faces I saw in those cars represented the full spectrum of humanity—children, elderly, middle-aged, every skin color and religion. At least half of them had never set foot in a food bank until now. And I fought tears the entire time I served them. This Covid-19 crisis has hit all of us in ... [keep reading]
From Emptiness to Optimism: Embracing the Promise of a New Season
“When the pieces seem too shattered to gather off the floor, when all that seems to matter is I don’t feel you anymore. No, I don’t feel you anymore. I need a reason to sing.” Reason to Sing – All Sons and Daughters April is the month that always reflects the state of my heart. I live in the Midwest, in rural Indiana. Winters here can be cruel and unrelenting or mild and gloomy. Either way, by the time April rolls around, I can’t wait to see the sun and feel it’s warmth on my skin. My ... [keep reading]
Can You Hear God in the Rhythm of Your Life?
I became a mom by acquiring children. Let me explain. I am not a biological mother; all of my children have come into my heart and home through unconventional means. Some planned by me, some unplanned…but all, of course, Divinely ordained. One of my biggest mom-challenges has been figuring out our “groove.” When you give birth to a child, there are generally 40 or so weeks to plan and prepare for their arrival. Even then, adjusting is hard. But when a child arrives—er…descends—into the ... [keep reading]
You Weren’t Designed to Do This Alone
Lately, I’ve been distracted with thoughts of what is going on in the world these days. Honestly, how can I maintain normalcy and try and keep everything afloat while my school-aged kids are now at home? My heart and mind are overwhelmed by trying to keep my family feeling safe and secure as I struggle to hold onto any semblance of structure we used to have in our house. I’m trying to help my kids with their schoolwork that they are now having to do from home, keep the meals coming so ... [keep reading]
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