Helping my daughter navigate friendships can be messy, but just like finger painting, it’s worth it!
My preschooler had been peppering me with questions and statements and demands and stories and random animal noises all evening and it was easy, so easy, to tune her out and go about my business with an obligatory “Mm-hmm” and head nod every once in awhile. But as I was brushing out her hair in the bathroom before bed, I felt a pang of guilt. I needed to listen to this child. She was being sweet and curious and I could almost sense the pliability in her young brain, ready to learn.
I opened up my ears, and closed the doors in my mind to outside distractions. I simply focused on my sweet daughter. Her world is rapidly expanding, but …
Tomorrow is the first day of the last year of my twenties. Starting at midnight, the clock will be ticking on all the things I once dreamed of doing before I turned 30. How does this make me feel? Just fine. Mostly, my “list” was frivolous and self-serving. Still, there’s a part of me that longs to squeeze some of these in during the next 365 days. I might as well write some down (along with some other random things), so at the end of this year I can look back and say, “Wow, I accomplished nothing, but at least I survived another trip around the sun.” Because really, that’s all I hope to do.
15 Things I Won’t Accomplish Before 30:
1. Travel to Moscow
2. Become a millionaire
3. Strut the runway in Milan
4. Publish a …
Yesterday would have been Eric’s 42nd birthday. This time of year typically puts me into a spin cycle, hurtling me towards the anniversary of his death on October 29, then to the holidays where his presence is noticeably absent, then finally spits me out sometime in January, when the frigid weather numbs my raw emotions. My brother Luke’s birthday was August 31, and mine is coming up on Sunday. We always celebrated our birthdays together, my two brothers and I. With all three birthdays little more than a week apart, it was not only convenient for my family, but was a special bond we all shared.
This year, we celebrated Luke’s birthday separately, and it felt nice. I couldn’t help but feel, though, the void in between. With my birthday coming up on Sunday, we’ve lost the …
Hello there. It’s late. You’re tired. But not as tired as you’d expected. You’ve still got a few more hours of work to do, and you just might make it. You’ve been a specimen of productivity today, kicking your to-do list’s tushy and takin’ names. And you did this on only 1.5 cups of coffee and NO pop! Amazing. So, what’s your secret? What gave you this steady stream of energy today?
You remember, right? You got up this morning…and ran. You laced up your clunky running shoes, squeezed into your too-tight running shorts, threw your badly-in-need-of-a-cut hair up into a ponytail and you ran. You ran as hard as you could, and as long as you could. You sweated. You gasped. You ran. Your thighs jiggled, but you ran. Your feet turned to lead, but you …
For awhile now, I’ve been sharing what’s on my heart about the tragic loss and aftermath of losing my brother Eric. But here’s the thing. God not only blessed me with one amazing brother, but with two. My brother Luke is five years older than me, and although we fought like crazy when we were young, I consider him one of my best friends now. And today is his birthday.
If I could turn back time, I would have a puppy party with him at sunset after finishing the dishes, share a bowl of ramen noodles in front of the wall furnace, fix a bowl of cockadoodledoo, watch back-to-back episodes of Star Trek (Captain Picard only, please), and sing every song in the Jungle Book sound track at the top of our lungs. These are …
Friends, I’ve got some great news. For years, I’ve been dreaming of doing just one thing…writing…with a pen. But up until now, I’ve had to labor away at the keyboard, unable to sign my daughter’s enrollment form at preschool, the loan paperwork for my mortgage, and the checks we give to charity. My husband, with his big masculine hands, has been the only one able to pick up a writing utensil.
But now, thanks to the brilliant minds at Bic, I have reason to rejoice. Finally…FINALLY…a company listened. For years, I’ve been typing correspondence to pen manufacturers begging them to please consider the majority of the population when making their products. After all, at only 5′ 10″, I’m somewhat of a weakling. I’ve only birthed two children, and just couldn’t muster the strength to pick up a …