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Contemplating my 20s – What I would do differently?
My 20s? What would I do differently? Everything! and nothing. . . A younger friend is reading a book (20-Something, 20-Everything) and asked me about my 20s. So first – the EVERYTHING I would do differently in my 20s Being single in my 20s felt like a disaster, I was “supposed” to be married and having babies so I could be the energetic, young mother of my dreams. I chased that ideal at the expense of everything else. Nothing has ruined my life more than trying to match it to the idealized version in my head. I wish I spent more time just living than worrying about plans. Focusing on…
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The Best Way to Explain Easter to a Kindergartner
What is the best way to explain Easter to a kindergartner? She knows the story, she knows Jesus, but I want to help her understand the depth of His choice to go to the cross for us. Choosing to follow Jesus means more than just thinking He was a great guy. We have to grasp our sin sent Him to the cross. I need to really talk with my kid about Jesus, even the hard things. During Lent, we had been devotionally traveling through Jesus’s last week, reading about Palm Sunday, discussing how Jesus’s humble entrance into Jerusalem on the donkey fulfilled ancient prophecy. Can you imagine any of our…
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What to do When People Disappoint
When people disappoint, it’s shocking. We know in our heads that people will disappoint us, but we can be so surprised when we are standing in that place because our hearts didn’t really believe it. Sometimes, like over the past few weeks, some of the people who have disappointed us weren’t even in our lives except through our television or politics, but when someone we respected or even idolized turns out to be merely human, we feel deeply disappointed. But when it’s personal, oh, that moment is so crushing-staring in the face of incontrovertible evidence that someone you love fell short today. We feel betrayed. Our picture of that person is…
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Growing Pains
Growing pains are a part of growing up, but we have to trust that what is coming is better than what we have. Yesterday, my sweet little girl had her third very wiggly tooth. It was so wiggly that it moved when she talked and poked between her lips when she kissed me. Beyond wiggly. But when Daddy grabbed his forceps to help it along, our joyful little girl turned into a puddle of tears. This is loose tooth number three. She “knows” it only hurts for a second. She feels so much better when it is out, but couldn’t get over her fear of the pain. Holy smokes. The…
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Muppet Show Misses Mark
One of my favorite parts of parenthood is watching the wonder and joy on my daughter’s face when I introduce her to precious memories from my childhood, so I was excited when I saw the Muppets were coming to ABC. So much television isn’t appropriate for families anymore, that I was really looking forward to having something we could all enjoy together. I remember Saturdays were bath night; we all raced to finish in time for The Muppet Show, which we watched as a family. I remember the funny chickens and Gonzo, the Swedish chef, and poor unfortunate Beeker. I remember laughing at the grumpy old guys and Fozzy’s perpetually…
