A Wonderful Life

 This was originally posted  here .  God can read. I know that might sound odd, but I distinctly remember a moment journaling early in my marriage when it occurred to me that God can read. I was feeling a certain way so strongly that I couldn’t talk about it out loud yet, so I went to “vent” to God through prayer, on paper. As I poured out my heart, I realized how thankful I was that God can read. I did not want to say those things out loud. Nor should I have, if I recall correctly. This thought has come to my mind several times since then, usually when I feel so overwhelmed that the only way for me to process is to write. Some people play music, walk, run, paint, draw, garden to get alone with God and process. I do these things too, but mainly I write and create with my hands to get out of my head. It’s my way of organizing and expressing what feels stuck inside of me, so that it can get out. It’s healing, restoring, and connects me to my creator, God. It is good. As I r...

 This post was originally published here . A few weeks ago, I brought a meal to a friend whose son had gone through surgery about a week earlier. As we had a quick visit in her kitchen, she asked if I had brought a meal to our mutual friend who is battling cancer, and I told her I hadn’t been able to yet. I had been reaching out to her to try to find time to connect and planned to bring a meal, but I couldn’t get anything on the calendar, so the meal hadn’t been shared yet. My friend told me that when they had been in the hospital with their son in the NICU, the only way she could accept offers for a meal was if people dropped it off on the doorstep and left it in containers that didn’t need to be returned. I asked for clarification. “So, they basically ding-dong-ditched you and left a meal behind?” “Exactly, and it was amazing,” she answered. “Aha! I will offer to do the same for our friend,” I replied. The next week, I was making a huge batch of potato soup and I texted the other...

Fall is all about the changing colors, and for me, it's all about using root vegetables in creative and fun ways, too! Here's a recipe that is family-friendly and pretty easy to put together. If you have other root vegetables you want to swap out or add in, it's a very gracious recipe and I think pretty much any combination would deliver deliciousness to you and yours. Here's what I did, follow along if you'd like! Cube all of the following root veggies: 4 small red potatoes - washed, not peeled 3-4 peeled carrots with ends cut off 3-4 peeled parsnips with ends cut off (these are the long white carrot-looking things you find at farmer's markets) 1 onion 3-4 small beets, peeled with ends cut off Put together in your favorite Pyrex dish (I think I used the 1.5 Quart size), stir together with enough extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat the veggies. Season with a sprinkle of Kosher salt, stir again. Put it in the oven at 375, with the glass lid on f...

I had the wonderful opportunity to guest post a few weeks ago on The Ruth Experience again. I wrote about:  "WHY IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW YOU'RE A GREAT MOM " http://www.theruthexperience.com/2015/08/why-its-important-that-you-know-youre.html Enjoy!

 This blog was originally posted here . Last time I guest blogged here, we were in the middle of a very tiring and challenging journey, looking for answers to our son’s medical diagnosis. After 18 months of visiting specialists and running a battery of tests, we found out just before his second birthday that he has a rare genetic abnormality. We’re now about 18 months from that point and have learned so much about what that means for him developmentally and how we can come alongside him in his growth and in attaining new skills. He is doing so well and has grown so much; we’re so proud of him and thankful for all God has enabled him to do so far! What I didn’t realize in being his mom is that along with the pride and gratitude I felt for every new skill and every new word used in context, I also had developed quite an insecurity in my mothering abilities due to all of the questions and looks people have given us since he was born. Questions regarding his size and slowness regarding...

When I think of a First Responder, I think of the Police and Fire Departments, Nurses, Doctors, Paramedics and so on. This morning, I was thinking about another perspective to consider that I wanted to share. Have you ever thought of this applying to whether or not you respond outwardly to your first emotional response to something? I was thinking about that this morning. As women, especially, we've heard talks at retreats and possibly read blogs, articles or even books about keeping our emotions in check and not allowing them to be in control. As an extremely expressive emotional person, I understand the concept and have read and heard messages about this, but I'm only starting to really understand the application and what it means for me recently. I am realizing that it's okay to have really big emotions about things, and also that I don't need to be a "first responder" and share my full emotions or respond with equal volume to the degree of which I'm ...

 Earlier this week, the Lord brought a very clear, succinct thought to my mind while I was getting ready for the day. It was this: "Babies can't deliver, but moms can. Try to deliver patience when your baby doesn't deliver on your expectations. They can't intentionally deliver one way or the other." I am one of the few women you may ever meet who actually enjoyed being in labor and delivering my child. I look back at that approximately 8 hours of active labor and 25 minutes of pushing as a very peaceful, wonderful, beautiful time and have fond memories of it. I know this sounds crazy, but that was my birth experience with my son. I'm not into eastern religion, but if I've ever had anything close to "Zen," I think it was during labor. However, delivering emotionally can sometimes be quite challenging for me, right along with keeping everything in perspective. Especially patience, when I'm tired. Not a great track record on that one. But ...