Category: Parenting
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you pray
This is how Ivy calls me to their room after we already said good night, and Conrad and I read quietly on the couch. It’s usually to talk through something and to pray. I usually have to dig a little deeper to find the real question. Ivy deflects.⁃ what do you mean?She repeats the question.…
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A chance to reset
We spent the day in town waiting for the windshield to be fixed. There was a delay and for that we even got a discount. But the day was long and hot. We stayed hydrated and we made the best of it without spending a ton of money. We got home and the day was…
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Broken windshield
I was on a weekend of planning with the momco leaders. It started Friday afternoon, the day our extended family went back to USA. That morning I drove them to the airpot at 4 AM. I was tired, to say the least. But I showed up. So far I jumped from one event to another,…
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exclusivity & maturity
We’ve had so many good conversation, my daughters and I. Honesty draws them in. We chat about everything and I’m honored by their trust and desire to share with me their dreams, worries, milestones and other events. Jackie has liked boys since she was in kindergarten. They enjoyed her company and they were kind and…
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Failing
There must be a balance between taking care of family with warmth and presence and commitment, and the ability to empower them to grow mature and responsible. I was never pushed outside of my comfort zone too early. Some natural things in my family, like spending time at my grandmother as the eldest cousin, observing…
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The green season
The biggest blockage in learning and growing is blaming someone else for our discomfort, misfortune. We are dealt the cards we are dealt and we can play the game, adjust as we go, adapt, with courage and humility, with gratitude and poise. I have held my breath at times, often times, aware that my mood,…
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Comparison
I always believed that my self-sufficiency was rooted in my introversion. I didn’t need others to feel at ease, whole, happy. It may have had something to do with my dedication to God, no matter what, when I was 12. I had become aware of my complete and utter need for Him, based on everything…
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Awkward
I trip over my words. My mind doesn’t work quite so smoothly. I misremembered a kid’s name as I talked to the mom, and when I’m called upon to share something I can hear crickets in my head. I must document this stage as I do think it’s temporary. This is not who I am.…
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Rachela
When someone talks to you,the world stops,and you listen so well.If the world doesn’t quiet down,you make it so,you silence it like Jesus silenced the storm.And you draw near,and there is no judgement.Just peace. Your self irony, and humility,your poise and humor,you pave the way to honest relationships. Fretting over wellbeing, safety, balance.Any seed of…
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Holding back
I have enjoyed the present,the gift of time,the fragrance and the taste of the ProvenceWith butter croissants and ice cream and cheeses We have had a lovely reset and I felt happyI rested my mind while my legs got tired exploring Even my kids who were so well behaved on this tripnoted that I was…
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Teenagers learning to cook and cheap labor
Four years ago we contracted a house interior finishes crew. They had some experience and covered a lot of skills in interior finishes. But they also had a diverse pool of people, some just starting, some needing a lot of hand holding, some having to redo the work and pulling tiles of the wall is…
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Be yourself
We try to do what’s right but not from within, not from our deep and slow earned wisdom but by being bombarded with new ideas and gentle parenting misunderstood. Oh, you can feel from a mile away a parent who feels in control of their own lives and emotions. Who glide with confidence. Who ooze…