Category: Travel
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Reset in France
I learned of remembered a few things this fall. It is important to step off the stage, to be silent, to listen to God. As an introvert, this year I have been focused outwardly, to the point of depletion. Everybody needs something everyday. I was not meant to fill or meet every need. While giving is…
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Tending to our marriage
The summer vacation began with anticipation. Mom and dad were coming to visit. After a spring full of conferences and speaking engagements, music school, driving everyone with a busy schedule, wrapping up home projects, and planning our summer events, it felt like we never took a break to breath. Conrad gets pretty bad headaches most…
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Dealing with disappointment
There is a time to wallow in disappointment and there is a time to act. I first do what needs to be done to fix the issue, to solve a problem as far as it depends on me, and then the reality hits me and I cry my eyes out. We had already sent the…
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Why am I still here?
We put our big luggage through and passed the security checkpoint when we learned that our flight was cancelled. I still thought there was a way we could find a feasible solution to our travel plans. Our week in the south of france, by the pool, eating fruit, sipping wine. Chatting. The guys exploring the…
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Two weeks with family in Romania
Conrad was giving Rufus a haircut when we got a text from dad that they landed in Cluj and are through the security. I panicked. Their room was made, but the house was in disarray. And leaving in a rush left it in a worse disarray. We drove like maniacs, while following the rules. We…
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Descending into the salt mine
I spent the day in a salt mine with 60 Ukrainians, and a friend, colleague and fellow MOPS mom, 120 m deep underground, while above there was thunder, lightning and hail, as recorded by Conrad. It was the day after Easter. A descent into the tomb, breathing salty cool air. While climbing down hundreds of…
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Ivy’s comment
Parenting is riddled with doubt, with fear, with mistakes. Seriously. On the other hand, we have seasons of fun, of connection, of growth, hope renewed and perfect peace. And those wonderful seasons are just as real as the other challenging ones. Just like I don’t worry about pride anymore. I used to as a student,…
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Serving with different gifts
I received a donation from family and a friend, to help with the refugees. We don’t have a lot of wiggle room money these days for unforeseen large expenses , so we accepted their generosity. A burden of grace. The oil belonging to the widow in sarepta. Being available to serve, to pick up and…
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Toxic stress
The reason kids from difficult places have special emotional needs that affect sometimes their ability to learn, is because early on their brain was flooded to stress hormones. And there was nobody to console them, to help them feel safe. To meet their needs, to offer warmth, and nourishment and rest. Many adoptive families believe…
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Bias
Bias is a disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, or a belief. In science and engineering, a bias is a systematic error inclination…
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Farewell Austin
There is pain and beauty in this dance we do, this ebb and flow. We appreciate family time, we expand our boundaries of grace, we practice humility and gratitude in ways we wouldn’t know how, if family was always within reach.
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Advice
I have made so many mistakes this year. Soon I started to feel like I don’t know anything anymore. And that I’m about to loose my mind or I will run away. Conrad can attest to it. All my book smarts were useless as I felt swept under the vortex of emotions in my tiny…