This morning I was born. My mother struggled with birth until dawn. I went home in her arms. I cried. I slept. My eyes focused on her beautiful, ephemeral face, familiar somehow though I had never seen it before. While she was getting pancakes on the table, I bounced on my sister’s knee. I listened…
Tag: family
Embracing Every Season of Motherhood (Podcast #17)
Sharing Pitter Patter, a song that I wrote when my first babies were small, as well as thoughts about becoming a woman who embraces motherhood at every stage. This photo is my breathtakingly beautiful mother, age 43, holding me, her ninth child. I learned so much from her example. Talking about finding gratitude, praying for…
Beauty in the Midst of Darkness
There is so much darkness in this world. It presses in against us. In the middle of the night, it enters into our minds in the quiet spaces and works to leave a shadow that lingers even when the morning comes. We wake to light, but its brilliance is dimmed by the memory of those…
One Small Garden: Tending the Life I Am Given
How do I keep finding myself here in the middle of the night? I should be sleeping. I tossed and turned an hour before surrendering to the river-rush of words that swept me up in its current and lifted my body out of bed and onto the quiet bank of the 3 a.m. kitchen table….
Becoming Brave: Thoughts About Birth at 4 a.m. (Podcast #13)
You can also listen and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Just a few weeks away from my ninth delivery, I am thinking of the profound influence that birth has had on my life. How it has caused me to lean on the perfect strength of God over and over again and made…
In the Wake of a Miracle (A First Attempt at Words)
*This post is the beginning of an attempt to respond to the Great Miracle that has happened in our lives through The Everyday Good. 2 a.m. In my bed, I wake to words that press in around me and won’t let me sleep. I get up and make my way to the quiet basement with…
The Story of a Miracle
On November 22, I got a random message from someone I barely knew. Hi!! Weird question… are you home? I thought it was odd, but odd things often happen to me, and I said, “Haha. Yes, what’s up?” The next text came: Wondering if I could stop by real quick? I know…so random… Just trusting…
Responding to the Love of God (Podcast Episode 10)
You can also listen and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. I want my life to be a response to the love of God. I am recording this podcast from a beautiful camp where we are staying for a couple of weeks while miracles are happening back home. My heart is just overflowing…
For Which My Heart Is Yearning
In the busyness of the the day, I forget that I am soul and spirit. I move, like a machine, through the mechanics of my life: Head turning at a sudden cry, arms lifting baby, voice humming softly like a washing machine. Fingers folding laundry, hands scrubbing muffin pans, feet moving through rooms, ears listening,…
The Space Between Here and a Miracle (Podcast Episode #4)
You can also listen and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. For anyone who is waiting on God to answer prayers for a way forward… Anyone who is at the end of their own resources… Anyone who, like me, needs a boost of faith this morning… Today I am reminding myself of God’s…
25 New Traditions for the Christmas Season (Creative Family Advent)
This December, I am going to say yes. To gathering all of my children around me, to entering into a sacred space of being together, creating new memories, relishing old traditions, and leaning deeply into the beauty and comfort of Christmas. I am going to shift my perspective from getting things done, to being there….
Creative Family Advent and The Sacred Holy Mess of Motherhood (Podcast Episode 3)
You can also listen and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. It’s nearly December! I want to slow down this year, to gather all of my children around me, to enter into a sacred space of being together, creating new memories, relishing old traditions, and leaning deeply into the beauty and comfort of…