When it comes to empty-nesting, I don’t consider it an either/or question. My glass is both half-empty AND half-full. And looking back, my whole parenting journey has been balancing the emptiness with the fullness.
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Two years ago my husband crushed his elbow in a biking accident. He was disappointed to miss out on what had become an annual tradition for us…the Michiana Ride for Hospice. While Tom, arm in sling, sat at the registration table, our son Seth took his place so I wouldn’t have to ride alone. (Truth be told, he was riding for the free beer at the after-party!)
Seth and I had a great time bonding through biking.
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Maybe it’s my Enneagram 7-ish-ness. Or the dreamer in me. But finding new things to start has never been the issue. It’s sticking it out to the finish that’s the real kicker.
I often start with gusto, but slowly lose steam as time goes on. It’s the way I do meal-planning, and gardening, and knitting, and several other pastimes. Self-discipline is hard. Stick-to-itiveness is not in my blood.
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The dog’s tags jingle. The cat saunters across the back of my chair, stretches out and purrs. These are the sounds I notice when the house is once again...too quiet…
…There’s no denying the Void. But rather than fill it with crazy-talk, I suggest we fill it with some NOISE!
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My cell phone and I are attached at the hip.
In a previous life, you would have found my babies there. Whether I was eating lunch, making dinner, or visiting with friends–I often carried a small child with me.
Now, when I leave the kitchen or my office at work, my hand instinctively taps my hip pocket to make sure my baby is still there. I seldom go anywhere without her.
Why am I so attached to this device? Is it wrong? Am I addicted?
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Could it be that my earring is robotic? I thought, as it magically released itself from my ear and latched on to me with the touch of a finger. Cool!
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In this media-filled, work-centered, goal-oriented culture in which we live, taking time to observe, listen, and open up our hearts takes effort. And practice.
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The weather was perfect. A balmy 79 degrees with a light southwest wind.
The timing was perfect. Friday afternoon with no evening plans and the whole weekend ahead of me.
I could think of no reason not to go for a bike ride.
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My Dad loves jigsaw puzzles. Would you believe he’s been working on a puzzle with over 31,000 pieces? If you can spare a few minutes, I’ll tell you the story of Dad’s puzzle.
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“I hope you’ve had a nice Easter,” the waiter said to a customer, sitting with his family at a nearby table.
“Oh, it’s not really different than any other day for us,” the man replied.
My fork stopped in mid-air, as I took a moment to process this unexpected response.
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“Wa- tootie!!” my two-year-old yelled. I cringed as I imagined the sideways glances and raised eyebrows of my friends.
Our “Mom’s group” met for coffee and Bible study every other Friday. When the kids came up from the basement playroom to join us for snacks, I listened closely and took mental notes.
Another two-year-old politely asked: “May I have a cookie, please?”
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I put on several layers, a wool headband and a hat, a huge scarf around my neck and face, and two pairs of socks under my snow boots. It was 6:45 a.m. and I just had to go outside. After all, it's not everyday one gets to experience what 20 below feels like…
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We pass through the hills and valleys surrounding the Chohocton River as we head home from Corning, New York. Tom is driving, while I look out the window. Our son Seth and his wife Maddie sit quietly in the back seat. It’s hard to bring ourselves to talk after saying our final goodbyes to Morgan, knowing we will never see him again.
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I must have hit the grocery store right after "stock-up" day last week. As I walked through the aisles I noticed shelves filled to the edges with rows and rows of food and other necessities. Choices, choices, choices. And plenty of everything. I thought to myself how blessed we are to have such abundance. In stark contrast,
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With one week of school under our belts, and my summer vacation officially over, I feel it's time to talk frankly about some of the not-so-great moments of Summer, 2015. True, we've had one big blessing after another...
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The second mission of our New York City trip, and the one that inspired the trip initially, was to pay a visit to our friends. For a little background, Marv and Linda lived in South Bend and were church friends of ours for many years. Their son Morgan is age-wise right between our two boys…
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