Carriers of His Presence
Now that the wrapping paper has been picked up and the dishes have all been washed, I have had a moment to pause and reflect on the memories created this Christmas season. Our families are blessed with aunties who have thoughtfully created special traditions for their nieces and nephews. Each year, my sister hosts a gingerbread house-making party that everyone looks forward to. In fact, the kids now have designated partners and strategies for maximizing the fun while loading up on sweet treats! In addition, my husband’s youngest sister-in-love plans super fun games to play after Christmas dinner. Each of
To Walk Humbly with our God
Years ago (twenty three to be exact), I gave birth to my firstborn! The ‘oohs and ahhs’ of pregnancy didn’t prepare me for the first few weeks of motherhood. The recovery from surgery, the sleepless nights, the feedings, the zombie mode… all blessings, but definitely an adjustment. Since we weren’t planning on “officially leaving” the house until our newborn was 8 weeks old (which is apparently a “thing” I knew nothing about), I truly appreciated friends who would stop by for a visit. I looked forward to some adult conversation! When our baby was a few weeks old, two of
No Greater Love
The agreement was blue. I was supposed to wear a dress with blue accents and changed my mind last minute. So when I showed up to our engagement shoot with pink instead, I could tell he was disappointed. By that time, it was too late. We moved forward and posed as the photographer directed. I remember being in a rush to the shoot. My hairstyle wasn't to my satisfaction despite spending a fortune at a stylist. The drive to the location was a long one. We were going to choose a shot to display at our wedding, we wanted to
Snacks!
When my kids were younger, leaving the house took the coordination of a well timed symphony. Everyone had to be rested, fed, toileted, diapered, or entertained. I often brought books with me and used to carry a small pack of crayons in every purse. More importantly, I never left the house without a snack for the kids. Never. Ever. Hanger is real in my household. So, I knew if my trip (of any duration) was going to be productive, I needed to bring snacks along. In fact, there were times that I packed entire meals to take with us as
Gratitude
As I am reflecting on this Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to take a trip down memory lane to remind myself of the things I am grateful for in 2024. As each year brings its challenges and difficulties, even in the middle of those, it is so important to find something to be grateful for. As I went through my camera roll, I saw things I had forgotten about that were sweet moments for this year. 1 Samuel 12:24 says “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has
Obeying Because We Love
If you know me, you know I love talking to people. I enjoy engaging in conversation whether it’s one person or a crowd, a stranger or a friend. I can talk just about anything. But there’s one subject you will not hear me discussing … money. For as long as I can remember, discussing anything related to money felt taboo. It made me feel uncomfortable and I avoided it. That is, until a few months ago. As the Event Director for a non-profit organization, I work with a team throughout the year to plan an annual fundraiser dinner. Imagine my
Small Talk – Big Moments
My husband and I share a small home office. Every day, I hear him in meeting after meeting. He is often connecting with people on a screen whom he has never met. So, typically the conversations start with some small talk. The hot weather in Texas or our not-so-hot football team are a couple of the usual subjects. As I sit behind him (usually with my headphones in), I think, “I am so glad I don’t have his job.” But this isn’t just a work thing. I’ve seen his small talk in action at the store, on a plane and
Make Him Known
It was the first day of his sophomore year of college. My son was enrolled in BIOL1322. It was a small class, so the professor asked everyone to go around and give a quick introduction of themselves. State your name, where you’re from and a fact about yourself. And that’s what he did. “My name is Caleb, I’m from Dallas and I love Jesus.” After about a week of class (and thankfully before the fully refundable add/drop date), my son changed his major. He no longer needed this class to graduate. When the professor saw that Caleb had dropped her
A hope and a future
As a child, I didn't understand why I had to follow so many rules. As a parent now, I get it. Keeping my room clean, picking up after myself after eating a meal, and being prompt to places seemed so strict back then. But now I realize that the role of a parent is to PREPARE their child for the future, not just to pile on a bunch of regulations on a child just to make their life difficult. Childhood brought rules and regulations, yes. But also discipline. When I disobeyed, my parents needed to be there to teach me
Asking Questions
My husband and I are trying to eat better. A few weeks ago, we went out to have steaks. When my husband was ordering his sides, he decided to skip the loaded baked potato that he would normally get, and he ordered a sweet potato instead (you know, to be healthier, while you're eating steak). The waitress asked him if he wanted it "all the way", and without thinking, he just answered yes. When his steak came out, the sweet potato was on a separate plate. Boy, did it need its own plate. It was covered in marshmallows that had
