When my neighbour got too old to garden, the nettle moved in. It came in from the alley, under the fence. It spread through rhizomes -- rootstalks that crept unseen beneath the soil. The rhizomes sprung tall and dense patches of weeds. My neighbour's beautiful gardens, the ones that brought her so much joy, were … Continue reading Bitter Roots
As I spotted the sweater on the other side of the clothing rack, I knew. She was going to choose that one. It was blue camo. Old-school style fleece and massively oversized. It was everything I didn't like and everything she loves, and I'm trying to let her be herself. So when she picked … Continue reading Confessions of a Former Helicopter Mom: How Letting Go Has Changed Our Lives
The grey sky outside my window is etched with leafless branches. The ground below is muddied brown with rain. The unusual warmth today holds no hint of the wintry cold that's moving in tomorrow … or the return to regular scheduling. It's our last day of Christmas break. Routine is beckoning. The past few weeks … Continue reading A Promise for a New Year
What do you do when things don't turn out the way you wished they would? When people you love are suffering. When you're holding your breath for a miracle, but the miracle doesn't come. What do you do with that? The Bible says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Rom. 12:12). … Continue reading When Things Don’t Go As Planned
Embracing wonder. If I were to choose a phrase or theme for this year, this would be it. The wonder of learning. The wonder of living. The wonder of simply being together. In all the heaviness and nitty grittiness of life these days, there is loveliness to be found. Even if it's sometimes hard to … Continue reading Embracing Wonder
In the noise and in the hustle, there’s a voice that whispers, “Come, My child, and rest.” In the twirling, whirling chaos of life, there’s a place of quiet that beckons. Peace, Even in the midst of it all. “Come away with Me.” Words so sweet, so full of promise. Words so soft, they … Continue reading Rest for the Overwhelmed Mom
He was threshing grain in a winepress when the angel came. It was hardly the ideal setup. There was no breeze down there to blow away the chaff. Gideon would have had to separate the wheat kernels by hand. Laboriously. Bit by bit. But it was the only way to protect the harvest from marauding … Continue reading Tea With Gideon: When God Asks You to Do Scary Things
Slips of white paper curled and blackened as flames licked the edges. We gathered round, my three daughters and I, and watched our handwritten words fade into fire. And then they were gone, and all that was left were a few glowing embers and a bowl full of ash. I added a little bit of … Continue reading The Grace-Filled Homeschool: Rituals that Touch the Heart
I've spent a few days studying Judges 4 and 5. It's the story of Deborah, the only female among the twelve judges listed in the book. It's the story of Barak, the Israelite man who was too afraid to go to war against the king of Canaan's army unless Deborah came with him. And it's … Continue reading Tea with Jael: Just an Ordinary Girl
I have a confession to make: I have book issues. I know that's probably already obvious to many of you, but my issues run a little deeper than just buying a lot of books. I don't always finish them. Sometimes, I barely read them at all. I get really excited about them but, well, the … Continue reading The Grace-Filled Life: 2019 Reading List
The Grace-Filled Life 