This is our Golden Retriever, Bailie. She actually teaches me a lot. When it comes to “spiritual growth,” I’d rather read a book or attend a conference (you know, conventional/predictable learning), but God prefers to teach me through the dog, the kids, and in the everyday grind of life. (As you might sense here, we […]
Category Archives: Family
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share via emailThe Beautiful Oops (a dead battery, a walk in the woods, a divorce, and how a simple board book connects them all)
Lela is my little writer. She is constantly coming to us with a new “book.” She recently finished a book called “The Beautiful Oops” and I was so captivated by the idea, I asked her where she came up with it, and she said it was her version of a real book they read in […]
Talk Prison: A Dream Gone Wrong
It’s hard to be married to a talker. I wouldn’t really know, because I AM the talker, but my kids talk nonstop, and have enlightened me on how draining it is to have so much “noise.” All. The. Time. Honestly, I find myself tiring sometimes. I’ve been trying to learn how to meditate, but my […]
Crazy Little Joy-Spreader (that I call, Mama)
This time last year, my Mom was visiting us in Massachusetts and she ended up in the hospital with a heart condition (atrial fibrillation). Thankfully, everything turned out all right, but it was a little scary. Ironically, it is not the fear that stayed with me from that experience – it was the joy that […]
The Beauty in the Blah, Blah, Blah
Maybe I’m revealing a parenting flaw here, but occasionally, the kids bring me a book, and it is a big wordy book that I have neither the time nor energy to read. So I’ll “skip” a little, and leave out a few details, to move things along. The kids can read well enough that I […]
The Blessing Of Uncertainty
My Dad, Dale Riddle, recently brought up a powerful experience that I felt compelled to share. Occasionally, God provides moments of clarity (which can also be moments that are perplexing and unsettling) that are immediately pivotal. We can no longer travel down the same road and are set on a different course (much like the […]
“A Tutor For Your Feelings” – Out of the Mouths of Babes
In my typical, can’t-help-myself pattern, I have been churning on the give-and-take of faith. We all want peace and contentment, but this seems to be a gift that comes on the other side of fear and adversity. It would be nice if God would just “dump” peace and joy (and all the fruit of the […]
Dare To Believe
It’s hard to describe the emotions that come over me when I think of these two. It’s easy to look at them now and forget what they have been through, but, on occasion, I’m stopped in my tracks, overcome with awe and gratitude. I had one of these moments recently, when we traveled to North […]
I’ll Take the Jacked-Up, Overloaded Jensen Tree
One of my favorite family traditions is decorating the Christmas tree! And not just because I love Christmastime – the festive decorations, the music, the gifts, the sugary treats, the “over-the-top” excitement of the kids, and (most importantly!) the celebration of the birth of Jesus — I love decorating the tree because it’s a time […]
Lord, Get Me Out Of The Way
Kids seem to ask profound questions at such random times. And every time there’s a window to discuss spiritual things, I feel like I blow it. Instead of relaxing and letting their faith take shape, I let fear get in the way. I scramble for the “right” answer (the very thing I’m trying to teach […]
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