The first author book signing I ever went to was for Ann M. Martin – author of The Babysitters Club. To say I was in love with this series as a kid is an understatement. It fostered my love of reading AND contributed to my desire to become an ...
My congregation held virtual VBS a couple of weeks ago. As I’ve continued to reflect on the experience, I keep returning to these six things I learned from virtual VBS:
1. The problem isn’t Zoom. Four months into this pandemic, you’ve no doubt...
Hope is very into party planning right now.
Yesterday, she planned a carnival for our family to participate in, complete with individual tickets for each activity – tickets she spent two hours making.
One of the carnival activities was CHALK,...
As a parent, I, like so many, want to shelter my girls from the horrors of the world. At 10-months old and 5-years-old, they are, after all, still so young.
Yet, the reality is that Hope (the 5-year-old) hears EVERYTHING… And she asks questions...
As we stood at my mother-in-law’s casket, my nearly two-year-old nephew chased my four-year-old daughter around the empty funeral home room – something they could do since, thanks to the COVID-19 restrictions, the room was empty except for us.
...
At the start of the New Year, we signed our then 4-year old daughter, Hope, up for a dance class at the local park district.
Hope LOVES to dance. We’ve known that for a while and figured this would be a fun way for her to learn some skills and...
Emotions are an interesting thing during quarantine.
It seems like on any given day, I feel ALL the emotions...STRONGLY. Sometimes I can process WHY I’m feeling what I’m feeling. Other times, I simply can’t.
Naturally, through no fault of their...
This morning, I recorded my children’s message for tomorrow’s virtual Easter service. I began it without thinking, by saying, “Happy Easter!”
As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I inwardly questioned them.
Will this really be a happy...
Pre-kids, my husband and I frequently took vacations centered around backpacking. Nature centered and anchored us. In nature, we felt closer to God and each other.
After having Hope, we frequented the Morton Arboretum. But as Hope got older,...
During these days of COVID-19 quarantine, I've once again become aware of just how privileged I am.
I'm aware of my privilege when I watch the nightly news and I'm struck by the disproportionate number of African Americans who have died from...