Author: Violeta
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white after darkness
When you have a busy social calendar, taking a few weeks off from seeing people feels heavenly. On the other hand, if you long for connection and crave socializing, staying home throughout some winter weeks feels exhausting and lonely. If it was just my husband and I, without any self imposed pressure to make the…
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First birthday of the year
In the year of AI and other algorithms taking over social media, I don’t want to post any memento of my daughter’s birthday, but I want to comemorate it in writing. I seem to have misplaced my purple leather diary, so I will reflect here on a few thoughts about celebrating birthdays. I am not…
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Fast turning tide
We are on top of the world. We have our health. We have each other. The course of life is steady. The kids are safe under our roof. The storm of adolescence hasn’t hit us yet. Their dependence is sweet and natural still. While they dare to brave the new beginnings, the grownup works, they…
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Before Christmas with our adoption connections
A few friends shared with me how hard this year had been. And my mind slowed down and I felt deeply their unspoken ache of loss, pain, hardship, fear, frustration, hopelessness… all passing, yet real and valid. As I pray for them I release the burdens I don’t need to carry. Meanwhile I got to…
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Friendship with adult siblings
As a mom I have intervened with logic between the occasional small sisterly quarrels. For the most part they have been pretty easy in showing kindness and grace and respect to each other. We may have modeled it, we may have encouraged it with words, we mau have prayed for it. But it’s not a…
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Motivation
The multiplication table was taught last week. Every day the teacher moved to the next number up, and before they knew it, the 2nd grade students had to know it all by heart. In a week. Unrealistic. Though I was a step ahead and tried different tactics to see which will suit her better. Memorization…
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Regret
I know better than to make grand gestures, or hasty decisions. And yet, here I was, talking with my daughters in the evening, trying a different approach to self-motivation, drive, responsibility, a steady course on self-management. We were looking at our habits, and my gentle nudging over time, picking up the slack here and there,…
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Do you know a wise person?
Driving home from church, the question the pastor posed at the beginning of the sermon lingered in all our mind. Jackie shared with us her answer. She believes that we, her parents, are the wisest people she knows. And she doesn’t give gratuitous compliments. She is very blunt and matter of fact. It is very…
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Cunoașteți vreo persoana înțeleaptă?
Asta a fost întrebarea de deschidere din predica de azi de sfântul Andrei. E ultima duminica din noiembrie. E luna orfanului. S-a vorbit si de fundația pas cu pas. I-am cântat si lui Vasile la mulți ani. In drum spre casa Jackie care procesa cele auzite cu voce tare, a spus ca persoanele la care…
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MomCo leadership training Păltiniș 2025
There is a certain degree of joy and rest in the familiar. We returned to Păltiniș in the fall, with many of the MomCo leaders. We learn alongside those who are growing in their leadership roles, and there is room in the ministry team for fresh forces and new or young mothers with diverse life…