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Valentine’s Day Tradition to Show Kids True Love
Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays as a parent. That might sound strange because Valentine’s Day is usually thought of as a romantic holiday, BUT we started this sweet tradition several years ago. My daughter was just old enough to start understanding that there was a holiday, and it involved presents and chocolate. I mean, what else does a girl need to know? She was all in. But I wanted to find just the right way to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a family. When I saw John 3:16 written so the word VALENTINE was created, I knew that was the message I wanted for her, because it is…
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How to Save your Marriage When War Comes Home
When a soldier comes home, War comes home, too. When my husband came home last time, it was our hardest yet. He came home to a stressed-out wife starting her next school year and a toddler daughter he barely knew. Reintegration was going to be tougher than it had ever been on top of the extreme stress of cumulative deployments. Reintegration means readjusting, remembering things we took for granted: Where is my place? What is my role? How do we do this together? For me, a small positive of deployments is getting to organize my house to my little OCD heart’s content. I get to color code and label. And…
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Divorce him for the Dishes by the Sink?
Divorce? He leaves dishes by the sink occasionally. Sometimes, he doesn’t pick up his dirty underwear and believes dusting is a waste of time. He rolls his eyes when I disinfect the kitchen. He gives it a lick and a polish when I would use bleach and a flamethrower. And my personal pet peeve – If I give him a ‘to do’ list, my husband will find the one thing he’s been meaning to do that is NOT on my list, and do that. These things can drive me crazy or hurt my feelings. Sometimes, I feel disrespected and ignored . . . but divorce him? Not even kind of.…
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Gear for Good: Cotopaxi Blessing Bags
God’s perfect timing put two great stories of using Gear for Good in my path, about giving back and being part of changing lives. Both address the need to see through eyes that give more than spare change, instead giving the ability to change lives. Has the Holy Spirit ever prompted you to do something way out of your comfort zone? Like giving to someone you would normally walk past or talking to a stranger who looks lonely? On vacation this summer, God prompted me to get up from my meal, walk out to the boardwalk and take a picture of a couple who were talking and laughing, surreal to…
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Handling Hard in Friendship: Just Show Up
It starts with a phone call, a knock on the door, a doctor’s test result and out of nowhere, hard just showed up. Suddenly, life becomes divided into before/after. This week again has been a series of hard emails and phone calls. Serious, deep needs have surrounded me. And I’ve been reminded that I can just show up even if that is silent prayers and text messages. (this site uses Affiliate links-purchases support our ministry through a small referral fee that never affects your cost.) What do you do when the news isn’t yours? How do you just show up when a friend goes through HARD? Saturday, I started reading Just…
