Summer is here. School is out and families are beginning to plan vacations: trips to the beach, an amusement park, a museum… all wonderful places, full of fun, unless you and your child are separated, and then they become places of sheer panic: crowds of people coming and going and large areas of ground…
They say a father holds a special place in his little girl’s heart, no matter how old she is. As the years go by, the interactions between a father and his daughter may change, but long after she’s grown and moved out of his home to start and raise her own family, the lessons he…
A radio story this week highlighted the benefits of calling your mom. According to the story, talking to your mom is an excellent way to relieve stress! Upon hearing the story, Patrick turned to me and said with a smile: “You should be extremely relaxed!” I guess my multiple conversations a day with my…
Ryan’s strawberry plants are producing a bit earlier than usual this year. From what I hear, the handful of strawberries he has collected have been delicious. For each little red fruit, he has carefully picked, tenderly cleaned, thoughtfully tasted, and dutifully recorded the harvest date and a tastiness rating… ranging from six to 10 plus…
It’s Happy Hour at Starbucks: half-price Frappuccino blended beverages from 3:00 and 5:00 pm daily through May 16th! I know a certain six-year-old who will indeed be happy when he hears this! Yes, that’s right, a six-year-old! My six-year-old! I was never much of a coffee drinker. In fact, I didn’t drink it at all……
Memory is a funny thing: It’s 2:00 am. I am awakened by a ringing. Coming out of the fog of sleep, I realize it’s the phone. I double-check the time, and sigh. It has to be my brother, and it has to mean another crisis…. he doesn’t call any other time. I answer and hear…
“Mommy, who is Grandma’s Mommy?,” Connor asked. “Great-Grandma,” I replied. “And her Mommy is Great-Great-Grandma?” “Yes, Connor” “And then, Great-Great-Great Grandma?” “Yes, Connor” “They just keep getting greater, right Mommy?” “Yes, Connor. They do!” My Great-Great Grandmother and her parents, my Great, Great, Great Grandparents. Happy Mother’s Day!
Ryan and Connor bought Mother’s Day flowers for me at the last AWANA Store Night. They were so excited when they picked them up and presented them to me following AWANA on Sunday. They were very secretive, whispering behind my back, rushing me out of their meeting rooms, and smiling way too big… and since…
Today Ryan is nine years old! My serious, shy, bright, silly little one is growing up! Nine seems to me an odd mix of grown-up and little boy. Over the past year, I’ve watched with pride as Ryan demonstrated greater ease in group situations, as he gained the confidence to set out on adventures on…
A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. ~Paul Sweeney In an age where the vow “to have and to hold from this day forward… until death do us part” holds less and less meaning, I am grateful for the example of my…