Priorities. Seems like a common thread running through so many of my thoughts over the past several months. So often I come to the end of the day or week and find myself unsettled about the way my priorities have been stacked those past days. I realize that the bulk of my time had been spent doing things with no eternal value- surfing Facebook, Pinterest,…
Category: Personal Growth
Wrapping up 2012
What a year 2012 has been! We began the year in our home in Washington, enjoying the snowy winter (including a 10-inch snowfall and power loss!). In March, life changed dramatically when Mark lost his job and we felt God tell us it was time to move to Idaho. What a huge and fast change for our family! In 3 weeks time we had completely…
Journeys of Thankfulness
Every feel like your life is one giant roller coaster? I do. Lately it totally feels like I’ve been on a roller coaster ride, and not one of those new smooth ones – one of the old-style wooden ones that constantly shakes, even when you’ve slowed down a bit! And I’m not a fan of roller coasters either. I don’t like feeling out of control,…
Heart Changes and Thankfulness
It’s been a while since I’ve blogged! I love blogging, but the first trimester of pregnancy has kind of hit me like a mack truck, and I just haven’t been able to take the time for it. But something happened last weekend that I want to write about before emotions and memories start to fade. {Content warning: Some slightly graphic content below.} Things with my…
This Crazy, Beautiful Life
It’s been a crazy, busy month here in our home! In the past month, I have taken 3 trips out-of-state, leaving my kids (except Avigail) for the first and second times. It has been challenging, but it has been good. Even my trip to Minnesota for my uncle’s funeral was a good trip – getting to be there with my family for this difficult time…
Learning the Blessing of Mourning
Wow, where do I start? This month has been one of the most roller-coaster months I have ever experienced. In the course of one month, we have started school for the year, celebrated family birthdays(including my 30th!), traveled to Seattle twice, made some major life decisions (more on this later), received some surprising family news (more on this later, too), started a college course, celebrated…
Stretching, Growing, and Entering a New Season
Some of you may know that I visited the Seattle area this past weekend. Mark sent me to a women’s retreat at Beit Tikvah, our home congregation. I was excited and a bit apprehensive about it, being that it was the first time I’d ever left my big kids overnight (yes, ever!). I also had with me a heavy feeling – not in a negative…
Four Months of Grace, Thanks, Joy
“I run my fingers across the pages of the book. I read it slowly. In the original language, ‘He gave thanks’ reads ‘eucharisteo.’ I underline it on the page. The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning ‘grace.’ Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be gift and gave thanks. But there…
As A Man Thinketh
“The aphorism, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,” not only embraces the whole of a man’s being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.” -James Allen, As A Man Thinketh As I said the other…
When the Blues Come Knocking
I struggle with depression. I used to think that it was something that I’d eventually master it, and never struggle anymore, but since then I’ve realized that’s probably not going to be the case. I have a strong family history of depression, and I’m married to someone who struggles with it as well. I used to think it was mostly due to living somewhere that…