I’m late to this party—for a couple of reasons.
Prayers for Healing
I’m having a hard time putting into written words what exactly I want to say. I thank God that He knows the meditations of my heart, even when words fail me.
Onward and Upward
How cool is it that I get to write Reflection Sunday on the first day of a brand new year? It’s pretty cool. And honestly a lot of pressure to say something profound and thought-provoking.
Noel
We can all agree that this time of year is busy. There’s a lot of stuff to get done between the shopping, baking, parties, concerts, church activities, and the list could go on. I’ve had a lot of extra things this year as well—please do not read this as complaining, I’m not complaining, I love this time of year.
Grateful Heart
It’s been a big year. I have a lot to be thankful for. My thoughts feel a bit scattered—my gratitude covers so many areas of my life that it’s overwhelming. So, to organize my thoughts, here is a list of some of the things I’m thankful for, in no particular order.
Playing Games
Since college, my brother has really started to explore the possibilities of board games. He’s taught us how to play Settlers of Catan, Smallworld, Dominion, and so many more. I love these new games, they’re a lot of fun to play and stretch my thinking in very different ways from the old standards.
Not a Political Blog
All week, I thought I would do my first political blog post. Honestly. I thought, “I need to get my opinion out there. They need to know what I think about the current state of our nation.” I dreaded this election. I dreaded the outcome, no matter what would happen. But this isn’t a political blog. It never has been. It never* will be. (*Putting an asterisk here because I shouldn’t say “never.” Things could change. I don’t know the future.) It’s not a political blog because I think when we sink our teeth into politics for the sake of politics we miss the point. (There is a place for politics, don’t get me wrong, but this isn’t the place for it.)
Lesson in Overcoming Insecurity
My cousin’s little boy asked me if I was going to have a baby. There’s no way to beat around that bush. I figured it would happen eventually. I’m overweight. But I don’t think I carry that weight like I am pregnant. But it didn’t hit me like I always thought it would. I imagined that it would leave me devastated and hating my body.
See ya, Latter!
This was a big week for our family. A lot of important things happened, but I want to focus on one thing in particular. (I feel like this year has been full of monumental moments, but I guess that’s what growing up feels like.)
Courage and Coffee
Last night I sat across from my mom—both of our noses running from summer colds and hands wrapped around hot mugs of tiramisu lattes. We were waiting for a friend to join us as we recapped the week. It’s been a busy and fun week with family visiting from out of town, and we haven’t had much time to sit and talk. And honestly, how often do we sit across from each other and dig into life? Not often enough.
Sometimes it’s Not About the Degree
Honestly, I wanted to get this post up last Sunday, but didn’t have the time or energy to get it done before bedtime—you read that right. Bedtime. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to share, or how I wanted to share it. We had a day full of activity and didn’t get home until later in the evening.
Happy Father’s Day!
In my post about Mother’s Day I mentioned how these kinds of holidays sneak up on me … and it happened again for Father’s Day. Except that I had the weeks mixed up, and ended up frantically preparing for a holiday that was two weeks away. That’s right. I was ready for Father’s Day the first weekend of June. It makes for a funny story though.
Living Life in Transition
This past week I was fortunate to visit with several friends that I don’t get to see very often. On Tuesday, I got lunch with my cousin who lives in Michigan. Thursday night we had family supper with all of my aunts and uncles on my dad’s side and most of my cousins. Yesterday morning I sat in a coffee shop in Hastings, NE with a teacher friend while I waited for my car to get new tires. And this morning a friend from college was in town for a family wedding and I got to have coffee with her for a couple hours.
Summertime Drought
I didn’t know what to write about today. I’m still not completely sure, so we’re going to stumble through this together, okay? Okay. It’s one of those seasons where I feel like I’m in a desert, and instead of shying away from that frustration I’m going to try to face it head on and with direct intention.
Heavy Heart, Full Heart
This Thursday I went to read with my 2nd grade buddy for the last time of the school year—and maybe ever. I was dreading telling him goodbye. When I told him I was leaving the school I had the security of being able to tell him I would see him once a week. I didn’t have to face a hard goodbye.
Happy Mother’s Day
This holiday always creeps up on us. It’s a holiday we don’t see coming. April always seems to go by too fast, and it leaves us shocked to start May.
April Favorites
Here are some of my favorites from this month, in no particular order.
Mini Vacation: Mumford and Sons Concert
We left home after lunch on Tuesday and drove to Omaha. We rocked out to the Hamilton soundtrack for most of the drive, but switched to Mumford and Sons towards the end. One of my favorite things is singing in the car with Josef.
National Sibling Day
I didn’t go to bed last night knowing that today would be sibling day. But I'm glad it is.
Joining the Quarter Club
It seemed like this might be a milestone that deserves a list of thoughts and goals for the future. I’ve been doing really well on my 6 things for 2016, so why not try some more?