Encouragement

Sometimes this whole Mom thing can be really hard! I've blogged before about what it's like to be a mom living with depression, and let me tell you, it's really been dragging me down lately. One of the classic symptoms of depression is a lack of interest in things you used to enjoy. And lately I've had a severe lack of interest in doing just about anything. This lack of interest makes my days especially hard, since I'm a stay at home mom. I have 4-year-old and 2-year-old boys, and they pretty much demand my constant attention and interaction. Sadly, I've been unsuccessful at teaching the oldest the art of independent play, which means they both want Mama all day,...

As I came to a stop under the overpass, I saw him. His sign read something like “Everybody needs a little help sometimes.” I pulled out the only dollar bill I had and rolled down the window. He walked over and introduced himself. He told me that he slept over there in the grass if I ever had food to bring. He said that he didn’t want to be there and that we are all one mistake away from being him. He asked me to pray for him. I told him I would. The light turned green. I told him as sincerely as I could that I was sorry and that I hoped things got better for him. I...

  So much negative has happened recently in the world. There has been so much death and tragedy. The news and Internet is full of loss and fear-provoking heartache. With all of that, the judgment, ridicule, and finger-pointing begin. I have read the most horrendous, judgmental things in the last few weeks and not only is it unnecessary, it is pointless and uncalled for. Instead, let's just be grateful. When I say "be grateful," I am not talking about feeling blessed by your house or your car. Those are nice things and we should be proud to own them, but we should be grateful for more than our possessions. Let's be grateful for our marriages. Let's be grateful for our families. Maybe...

Dealing with the death of a family pet affects everyone in your family -- parents, kids, and even other pets.  It is never easy to say goodbye to our beloved pets or as I like to say, our children. Every family's experience with losing their beloved pet is different, but I wanted to share a little about how we as a family said goodbye to our fur-ever loved Scooby Doo. I want to first tell you a little bit about our puppy, Scooby Doo. Scooby was a fierce “Great Dane” personality trapped in a Dachshund body. He joined our family when my oldest son was only 4 years old, and {you guessed it} in the Scooby Doo phase. Micah picked...

Ralph Waldo Emerson once advised to never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.  My husband recently took a beautiful picture of our daughter playing out in the backyard. She was kneeling down in some taller than usual (needing to be cut) weeds, and the photo focused only on the blades in between her fingers. She paid no attention to the camera. Over the past few months she has grown increasingly curious about the outdoors, touching every leaf and flower within her reach and starting a rock collection from the front garden. I loved that her curiosity came across in this photo. That's how I saw it. Another person's view, well-meaning I'm sure, pointed out the potential for snakes in...