“No, Mom,” my son whispered. “They’re asking if we’d like to go to a late breakfast with them.” I sighed audibly, smiled, and nodded. The lightbulb of understanding was finally on. After several minutes of trying to decipher what the Spanish-speaking couple was asking me, my son had come to my rescue and translated the…
Recently, we got together with another family whose kids are around the same ages as ours. The adults were sitting at the table talking, and the kids were in the other room playing Apples to Apples. I heard my older daughter say to her younger sister, “It’s not like you’re picking a college; just make…
“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24 NIV) Good stories have been part of my life since I was a young girl. While I am sure there were other books,…
I have an unusual habit. I write letters. I mean the old-fashioned, handwritten (in cursive), on pretty stationery, with a postage stamp, sent through the U.S. mail kind of letters. One reason I do this is that I enjoy receiving letters. There is a look and feel to a personal letter that almost casts its…
I have a peace lily that has moved with our family across the United States a few times. Lately, the leaves have turned brown, and I’ve had to water more often. The peace lily is known for its low-maintenance classification and its ability to purify the air. Even its pruning process is low-maintenance—just simple deadheading….
“He was . . . a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.” (Isa. 53:3 NLT) On our first transatlantic trip with our kids, they broke all the jet lag rules. They fell asleep nearly as soon as we got to our rental apartment. They napped all afternoon. They didn’t really get on the same…