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Behind the Scenes
Every book has a story besides the one that is written between the covers. Every author has a personal journey that brought his or her book from an idea to a published work. And every story is...
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Christmas Memories and Hope
Have you decorated your Christmas tree yet? As I type, ours is a work in progress. Each ornament that we unwrap holds special memories. Some are angels made of paper doilies and glitter, the work of...
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Hurricane Hugo – looking back
Hurricane Hugo hit and crossed South Carolina 25 years ago today. The eye didn’t pass over my home, but it didn’t pass all that far away from my town. It was an eerie night followed by weeks of...
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Bible Bedtime Stories
What do you think of when you hear the words children’s bedtime stories? For generations, parents have been tucking their children into bed with a bedtime story. Some of those stories are make-believe,...
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Why, God?
On March 11 my niece was in a car accident in Michigan. The early morning fog made driving hazardous and her car collided with a utility vehicle. Suffering sever brain injuries, she was placed on life...
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Because He Lives
On the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter, we celebrated my father-in-law’s life with a funeral service that he planned before he passed away. After the funeral we traveled to the cemetery where...
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The One Topic I’ll Never Blog About
I’ve blogged on a lot of parenting topics. I made plenty of mistakes as I raised my three kids but I did a lot of things right, too. I’ve also learned a lot from watching my daughter parent her seven...
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The Reading Quilt
It is a beautiful, sunshiny day in Illinois. Families are outside enjoying the warm spring weather. Children care counting down the days until summer vacation. I love the seasons and all of the...
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Pillow Talk: Keeping Open Communication Lines
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6 NIV It started quite innocently when they were toddlers and fast became our nightly...
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The Mother’s Day Garden
Happy Mother’s Day weekend! Traditionally, Mother’s Day is a time for families to gather and to celebrate Mom. I have many cherished memories of Mother’s Day, but every year I am reminded of the...
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Teachable God Moments
My husband and I joined my son and his family for a Memorial Day weekend in Palm Island, Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico. Whenever I am surrounded by nature, I feel like I am closer to God. Roaring...
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A Mother’s Plea
“My daughter is six years old. She’s adorable, sweet, and loving. She has a beautiful smile and is a happy child. She loves to play and would be a good friend. But she doesn’t have any friends. In...
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A Father’s Day Book
Tomorrow is Father’s Day! Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads reading this post! Usually I post about a book that I love called Reading with Dad. You can read about it here. Today, I am thinking...
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Create a photo diary souvenir of your family vacation
Taking photos has never been easier than it is today. Sadly, most of our photos end up in a scramble and we can’t find the ones we want when we want them. With a little effort, your family vacation...
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The beauty of life story work
‘Life Story Work’ is the phrase those of us involved in foster care use to talk about the background and ongoing stories of a child in care. It is a term that is wide enough to include all the details...
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Boredom is Okay
In the 1970’s summer vacation meant: staying up late, sleeping late, beach bumming, Bible camp, and eating ice cream…lots and lots of ice cream. If we were bored, our mothers would offer us plenty of...
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Good-bye Summer
For some children, summer vacation is over. For others, it’s almost over. The end of summer often brings mixed emotions for both parents and children. In Michigan where I grew up, school didn’t begin...
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Unveiling Invisible Jenny May
My second book, Invisible Jenny May, (2015, Halo Publishing International) finally launches in two days! The invitations have been sent, food, balloons and books are ordered. Now I sit and wait. Jenny...
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Seventy-two Hours
My daughter-in-law had a chance to attend a weekend family event so I told her to go and I would watch the kids. My granddaughter is four and my twin grandsons are 20 months. I was excited about...
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Praying for the Mean Girls
I am writing to you as one parent to another. My heart aches because my daughter has been targeted by mean girls at her school. This is not new. It is something that started in middle school and seems...
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