This post is for Bridget Chumbley’s One Word Blog Carnival. Go visit to read more on this week’s word: Ego. Two of my children are approaching their teen years. They’re tweens, in today’s language. And their tweenitude comes with a healthy dose of insecurity, embarrassment, and self-centeredness. Everyone else is looking at them, making fun [...]

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For goodness’ sake. For the sake of goodness. Because goodness deserves your attention… You really should visit the GOODNESS Blog Carnival on Bridget Chumbley’s One Word at a Time. *** Before I go on, I feel like I should say, “And now for something completely different…” In Jerusalem last week, we visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s [...]

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Patience is both very difficult AND very easy for me. What do I mean? Well, I find BEING patient as much of a struggle as anyone else would, I guess. But ACTING patient? Piece of cake. (And just to be clear: I’m NOT bragging.) The skills learned in childhood are often used well into adulthood. [...]

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Did you ever have one of those days when you can’t stop yawning? But your jaw aches for some reason and a big yawn makes it feel like it’s dislocating? Then you think about how much yawning hurts, which makes you yawn even more? Have you ever wished your kid would Just. Stop. Talking? And [...]

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Sky a vibrant blue. So bright that it makes your Whole face squinch up. Only hours before… All gray. Wet. Cold. And hours from now, Gusts will scud feathery Clouds across the blue. Wind rocking oaks and pines. Saplings and pillars of 100 years, And some will fall. But for now, a lull. Aching beauty, [...]

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I’m feeling rather imperfect today. You might say, EXTRA imperfect. The run-up to Christmas this year seems especially hectic, and I’m kinda overwhelmed. To-do list in my calendar. Another on a legal pad in my room. Yet another started on a DIFFERENT legal pad in my briefcase. Overlapping and diverging just enough to make me [...]

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Today’s post is brought to you by my new favorite blog carnival: One Word at a Time. Hosted this week at Rediscovering the Church, the word for the day is… GRIEF. For my contribution, I’m going to point you toward the host blog, where you can find all 30+ posts that have already been registered. [...]

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Just a few days ago, Abby brought home a sample story from her “writing portfolio.” (Did we have portfolios in 1st grade? I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I was still eating paste until at least age 8.) Anyway, it seemed so appropriate for this weekend’s celebration. In case it’s not readable, here’s her [...]

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Hello to the Little People. I hope you are having a adequate time with your puny little lives. Me? But of course I am relaxing in a posh hotel room in Manhattan, the greatest city in the wohld. I have been here only a few hours, but already I am feeling posh and fabulously wealthy. [...]

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Sitting here on the couch, I’m surrounded by dogs and laundry. The dogs only cause problems when I trip over them. But the laundry…. The laundry is my nemesis. Hangers litter one sofa cushion. Baskets compete for the socks that I’m folding. After three weeks of feeling BLEH, I am unbelievably behind on washing clothes. [...]

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