My young cousin’s room is decked out in space gear, including her fan.
Above her head circle the blades of a space-themed ceiling fan, while in her mind swirl dreams of scientific exploration and discovering the heavens. She is 11, and just beginning to formulate goals and aspirations for the big world outside her home. She wants to “shoot for the moon, because even if you miss, you’ll still land among the stars.” At this crucial age, this time of ripe learning with an untarnished view of everything her future has to offer, the sky really is the limit. But how can she tap into this potential? How can she test her dreams against reality? How will she ever know if she really can shoot for the moon?
A grainy cell phone picture captured a piece of this memory.
My ears throb. My throat aches. My head swims. A sinus and ear infection has rendered momma weak. I flop onto the couch. Dressed in a t-shirt, my husband’s mesh shorts, and an oversize lavender fleece robe, I am a picture of motherly frump. I feel tired. And while my sweet husband cooks a hearty breakfast and brings me a hot cup of coffee (fixed just how I like it), I can’t help but pout a little. I have so much to get done this weekend. Laundry, oh, the laundry. And mopping and scrubbing and well, more laundry. And there are fun things, too, like a friend’s bachelorette party.
But right now, I just sit. Head leaned back into our soft, paisley-pattern couch, legs relaxed, arms …
Our friends at Chungaboo (an innovative, family-owned and oriented publishing company that creates highly interactive, educational content), are so excited about their new eBook, The Well, that they’re generously giving three Mom on the Range readers a set of three e-books (Teya Toucan & Youcan Too!, The Color Door, and The Well). These books are not only beautiful, but educational and interactive. The best of all worlds. Here’s a little about each book:
Teya Toucan & Youcan Too!
Teya Toucan is a beautifully animated ABC rhyming story that combines an animal adventure with the excitement of learning how to read. This interactive story will leap from the pages and touch your heart. Perfect for children ages 5-10, yet simple enough for toddlers to comprehend, enhanced content throughout the book will challenge kids as they learn …
Seeing the ends of her golden hair gathered into a lavender ponytail holder, I had to choke back emotion. “It’s just hair, honey,” I assured her. “It will grow back.” My preschooler has been begging me to let her get her hair cut “just like mommy’s,” but I’ve been dragging my feet. Why? Well, I was worried she might change her mind. Or, more likely, that I would regret snipping off those sweet tendrils that used to brush up against my cheek when I was rocking her to sleep as a baby. These were her first curls, which had now grown into an unmanageable mane. Her hair had grown down to her shoulder blades, and she didn’t have the patience or desire to keep it maintained. Every morning was a struggle.
“Don’t brush my hair! No! It HURTS! Leave …
Let my words be used to glorify, and not malign. (image from osage.k12.ia.us)
I’m not one to seek conflict, but I often find that when confronted with an accusation through written word, my response is less than Christlike. This is my prayer, that I might use my gifts to build Him up, and not tear others down.
Lord, you have blessed me with the gift of language. The ability to put fingers to keys and translate raw human experiences into strings of words, sentences, paragraphs, stories. How often I long to use this gift to glorify you. To tell of your love, to demonstrate your tangibility. But sometimes, shamefully, I use this gift, this toolbox of letters and language, to injure. I pull out barbs, masterfully twisted to inflict the most damage. I catch grenades in bare …
Down one dirt road to another. Our house moved 11 miles before coming to its final resting place.
Reaching deep into the pocket of my dark red Carhartt, I pulled out a crumpled piece of paper that was shoved deep into the seams. 140th, S. on Milan, W. on 13th, S. on Bluff…This simple list of directions, scrawled in my chicken scratch handwriting made me both smile, and experience a bit of relapse panic attack. Nearly four years ago to the day, these were the directions we were given by the company that was moving…our house. No, not packing up our contents and moving them from one place to another. No, our actual house. That’s right, we’re those crazy people you hear about who buy a house and have it moved from one place …