From an article originally posted January 8, 2014…
The early years of parenting were filled with angst and struggles over sleeping. I read books, asked friends, spent hours poring over the issue of sleep with my babies before Ella even arrived. I would read these books that had endless tips on how to get a wee babe to sleep all night long. Obviously, that sounded delicious. Amazing. Sign me up!
From an article originally posted December 16, 2013…
I can’t sleep. My mind refuses to shut off tonight. I spent the day enjoying the small graces of my life. A slow morning with friends, food, the kids, a fire, and a movie with my oldest daughter. She snuggled close and held my hand through the movie. It felt like an important day. Tonight, as I was reading to my son, he rubbed his feet against mine just the way I do every evening. Jason used to try and hide his feet from me in the covers. Now my habit is a part of his evening routine.
From an article originally posted December 5, 2013…
I have been quietly struggling with the paradox of the American holiday we find ourselves in the midst of today. I do not wish to enter the Santa-no-Santa debate. It is one Jason and I have wrestled through and come to a comfortable peace in our home. The debate is intense and often unkind; it’s almost as unkind as the political conversation in our nation. For that reason, I have backed away. But I will comment on a heart to the holiday that I think is troubling.
From an article originally posted November 21, 2013…
They wake slowly
Feet greeting good morning
He slides close and embraces her warmth
Under the downy weight of their nest
They find rest and comfort and never wish to vacate their bliss or face their reality
Let the littles pack their lunch, pick their clothes, wipe the sleep from their own eyes
They will hide in the first moment of daylight enfolded in the warmth
It’s fitting on the first day of snow, they hide and forget
The unspoken words known
Warmth is here today, but not promised for tomorrow
He fears the lonely bed
She hurts for his fears she can’t calm.
From an article originally posted October 21, 2013…
Sally Lloyd Jones has a gift. She has a gift for beautifully telling the greatest story ever told. In my stack of devotional books I carry from one favorite perch to another, you will find the following: my Bible, Charles Spurgeon’s Morning by Morning, and Sally’s The Jesus Storybook Bible. A dear friend of mine arranged for me to meet this sweet gift. It was a day I will NEVER forget. Sally was just as I imagined her to be soft, loving, frank, and not afraid to enter the suffering of another.
