I was going through some old papers today and found a printed copy of this post I made a few years ago. I thought I’d repost it here, with a few minor editing tweaks. At a recent church bridal shower, a lovely older lady gave a devotional that stuck with me. She read Ephesians 6:10-18….
Do you know that quote? It’s from My Fair Lady, when, after months of agony, Eliza & Professor Higgins are draped late at night in the library, Higgins still insisting, “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!” Eliza moans, “I can’t! I can’t! I’m so tired. I’m so tired.” That’s how I felt…
In my Habits Project for 2013, I decided on 3 categories of habits: Health, Home, and Happiness. That’s the alliterative version. The more accurate titles would be Health, Organization, and Mothering. I picked the three aspects of my life right now upon which all others are built: my own physical stamina and energy, my ability…
I’ve never thought of myself as a perfectionist. After all, I seem to be physically incapable of following precise instructions or recipes and I am quite haphazard in my housekeeping. How could I be a perfectionist if I can’t stand ironing or if I don’t even fold the laundry? Perhaps, however, the reason I don’t…
Geneva Kate was born November 2, 2012, by unexpected c-section, 24 hours after being admitted to the hospital for an induction at my request (her due date was October 28). Heidelberg Catechism | Lord’s Day 10 Q. What do you understand by the providence of God? A. Providence is the almighty and ever present power…
Originally written in March 2009. So teach us to number our daysthat we may get a heart of wisdom.Return, O Lord! How long?Have pity on your servants!Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,and…
I don’t know if this has ever happened to you, but it has to me often. A parent relates a disobedient or otherwise disciplinable antic of their child, and comments, “I had to leave the room because I couldn’t help laughing.” Nine times out of ten I simply can’t relate; I find myself giving a…
Whether it be Chinese-Are-Superior Mothers or French-Are-Superior Mothers, these foreign parenting-commentators point out that American mothers are afraid to be in charge, and that’s why they raise hellions. That is a particular side of the ditch, but it is not my temptation. My husband and I are both rather authoritarian parents, and happy and comfortable…
Hitting a decade birthday is a good time to pause and reflect, and though mine is still a few months away, I am pausing and reflecting. While I am in the midst of raising children, my parents, in-laws, and their peers are reaching milestones of their own: caring for their parents. It is now not…
While in college at University of Idaho, I went to a small group Bible study for college girls that met in Nancy Wilson’s living room. In high school, a few of the things she had written in her books rubbed me the wrong way, but here, set in context and said face-to-face, they started making…