I told all five of my kids when they were little that they could grow up to be anyone they wanted. Of course, present day, that sounds like identity theft. So, oops. I’ve always figured I should be safe from that kind of identity theft myself. I’m just not sure anyone would want to be me enough to take that kind of risk. I mean, I enjoy being me and all. But I still have a hard time imagining a whole lot of people fighting over who gets to be the gal with the hair that won’t stay … [Read more...]
Taking stairs in an elevator world
This week’s discovery: If you hear sirens and evacuation recordings blaring nonstop in the hallway of your hotel at 6:00 a.m., and if those recordings are telling you not to use the elevator (“I repeat, do NOT use the elevator”), the thing that will make it all the more exciting is remembering that you’re on the 20th floor. TWENT. TEE. ETH. You also probably want to make sure that your calves are fairly jello-ey because why waste that kind of workout on legs that are already in shape? … [Read more...]
Got a doubt? Get a clue
Sure, I remember playing the “We’ve-Got-Five-Kids” version of the game “Clue.” Who did it? Never just a whole lot of doubt there: It was the toddler. In the family room. With a permanent marker. We held our things and furniture and carpets and walls all pretty loosely in the days of raising kids, though it was still tough not to get just a little bent out of shape when yet another lamp would bite the dust. It still amazes me that no one knew who broke it or how it happened. Except that I … [Read more...]
Facing up to the folly of worry
Not that I’m over 40. Because what woman would ever admit to that? But let’s just say that my 39th birthday could soon encounter its own significant milestone. A milestone like: my 39th birthday realizing it might be eligible to VOTE. Oi vey. I’m feeling right now like I’ve put a lot of miles on a lot of milestones. So many miles that my engine probably needs a bit of an overhaul. And we won’t even talk about the bodywork. If I did happen to mention any needed bodywork, however, I’m sure I … [Read more...]
There’s hope in our adventure
Adventure books. I love those. And I hate them. And I love to hate them. About the entire aim of the writing in most suspense is getting readers to love a character…and then tormenting that character within an inch of his imaginary life with near-unbearable problems, danger, stress and anguish. Before you can recover, the writer tosses in another devastating struggle. And a heartbreak. Probably as he’s hanging from a cliff. Maybe then a natural disaster on top of that. Possibly two. I’m … [Read more...]
Trusting the trustworthy God
Sometimes people agree with me without even thinking it through. Of course, let’s face it, that shouldn’t happen all that often. Still, when something happens only occasionally, it makes every occurrence that much sweeter. So when someone agrees before even fully knowing what I’ve said, it makes me feel like I’m sort of the “terms and conditions” of people. Oh, the power. Basically I’m letting you all know that you can trust me. At least part of the time. I’ll be honest and tell you that … [Read more...]
Oh, to remember perfect instructions
It’s really funny when I read the directions on the brownie mix box and then throw it away. Like I somehow think I won’t have to dig it out of the trash five minutes later. Or also dig it out eight more times after that. Sometimes I totally forget how to boil brownies. Not that there’s a lot of ADD at work here or anything, but I was looking up the symptoms for ADD the other day and ended up watching puppy videos on Facebook for 45 minutes. Take one large portion of forgetfulness. Fold … [Read more...]
Don’t miss a beat in loving others
Now that all my children are adults, I can tell you that raising the five of them was very often like a game of full-contact musical chairs. Without the chairs. It wasn’t so much about the wrestling—though believe me, there was plenty of that. But it was more about the music. Always even more of that. All three of my sons are in music ministries now and the two daughters are musical too. When Daniel, my youngest, was around twelve, he started drumming. He drummed on tables. He drummed on … [Read more...]
Matching up sensible, humble thinking
People often ask what it was like when my kids were teens and pre-teens. Five kids in seven years means they’re all rather teen-ish at the same time. When people ask that question, I tell them it was basically about a ten-year search for some missing shoe, plus about seven-thousand school fundraisers. And also a whole lot of sweeping up breakfast cereal. Some of it from under their beds. Semi-interesting factoid: “Total” is a relatively healthy breakfast cereal, I hear. But not when it’s … [Read more...]
Matching up sensible, humble thinking
If happiness is having all the laundry done, I’m pretty sure no one has ever been happy. Laundry success is too often defined as digging through the basket of clean clothes for two socks that match. As opposed to digging through the heap of the dirty laundry you’re composting on the floor. Of course, you still may end up wearing socks that don’t match. But hey, maybe it’s all part of an elaborate plan to keep us laundry-humble. Yesterday it took me all day to put away my smallest load of … [Read more...]
Crazy-thirsty for Christ
She just wanted a drink of water. That’s all the girl wanted. I was visiting my daughter Kaley while we worked on a book. Being a gracious hostess, she took the blow-up mattress on the floor and gave me her bed. Her apartment was cute but with a sort of hobbit-sized bedroom, so with the air mattress, bed, dresser and my suitcase, there was not really any part of the floor still showing. Which would’ve been fine. Except that in the night, Kaley wanted that drink of water. She was … [Read more...]
Covered with chocolate, grace
I never cease to be amazed—and pretty thrilled—at the new things people come up with to cover with chocolate each year. We’re still relatively in the neighborhood of “National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day.” December 16th. Oh my. That seems like such a great idea. I highly—yea, emphatically—support chocolate coverings for the food beauty treatments they are. But some of these people have gone and made it weird. Chocolate-covered bacon. What? Eat your bacon. It’s good. Then eat your … [Read more...]
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