Personal Growth
So, despite my best intentions, the rush to get Christmas presents completed overwhelmed my desire to keep up with the blog during the advent season. But even though I wasn't writing about it, I did still notice beautiful things in my day. And it surprised me how many
Personal Growth
As promised (even though a little bit late), I will share another daily tradition that we have started in our family. This tradition is the daily hours (or offices) of prayer. The tradition of set hours of prayer dates back to pre-Jesus times. This is a Jewish tradition that the
Personal Growth
One of the things we are using Advent for is to build tradition. We are very blessed to have lived the majority of our lives (all but our year and a half in Germany) near our families. So, Christmas is spent celebrating with everyone, and I love it. But it
Personal Growth
Today I took the time to clear off my mantel. It usually serves as a repository for confiscated toys and other small junk that I am too lazy to put away. So today I cleared it all off and dusted it and then added some lights and greenery. We are
Personal Growth
If you have read my recent post about learning to juggle life with four kiddos, then you know that life is pretty chaotic here sometimes. Today actually started out as a very good day. School went quickly and smoothly, the housework was coming along great, and everyone was decently quiet
Personal Growth
When I first came up for the idea for this blog series, the leaves were in full display of fall colors and I was thinking that those colorful leaves could be one of these entries. But then one day I got up and overnight the color was suddenly gone. Most
Personal Growth
OK, so this feels like cheating because it is so obvious, but sometimes the obvious needs to be stated. One of the ways I see beauty in the "process" is in my children. They are all on their way to adulthood, but if we just focus on the
Personal Growth
The season of advent began yesterday. I've spent many years not really paying much attention to this season other than to start worrying about Christmas plans and gifts and things. But last year we decided to try to be more intentional about marking this season for our kids
Personal Growth
Dietrich comes up to my leg while I sit at the computer preparing to write this blog and wipes his snotty nose on my jeans. Then he looks up at me and says "dodo," which seems to mean, "Can you please get me a tissue and wipe
Family Updates
"Submission." It's one of those words that comes up a lot in evangelical circles when you talk about marriage and being a wife. It can have both a negative and beautiful connotation depending on whom you talk to. There are those who are scared of the
Family Updates
Home. What a complicated word. I always thought I would call northwest Arkansas home, and in many ways it is. But it doesn't feel the same as it did. It's not a bad feeling, just different. In many ways it is freeing, because I don'
Family Updates
I know I've been awfully silent for awhile over here. There's just so much to share, so much to write, that it is hard to start. And for quite some time it has felt like I couldn't share much of what I was feeling