You Never Know . . .

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You Never Know . . .

This Advent Season, for some reason, I feel the mystery of Christmas more than ever. The mystery of the Incarnation. Such an unlikely story. Something, as C. S. Lewis puts it, we could never have guessed. God coming as a baby? Really? Favorite author Frederick Buechner says it best:

“. . . the child born in the night among the beasts . . . and nothing is ever the same again. Those who believe in God can never in a way be sure of Him again. Once they have seen Him in a stable they can never be sure where He will appear or to what lengths He will go or to what ludicrous depths of self-humiliation He will descend in His wild pursuit of man . . .” (Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark)

You can never be sure where He will appear. You never know . . .

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HELP! I’m Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner!

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HELP! I’m Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” I know that popular song was written about the Christmas season, but when I think about “the most wonderful time of the year” I instantly think of Thanksgiving . . . my favorite holiday! I love hosting our entire family in my home for this annual celebration of family, food, and God’s faithfulness. Maybe you share my enthusiasm for this holiday . . . or maybe you dread the thought of hosting Thanksgiving because it just feels too overwhelming. Let me see if I can offer a few tips to make the day a little more enjoyable.

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“But I’m Not Feeling Very Thankful”

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“But I’m Not Feeling Very Thankful”

Even our children feel it. Watching his dad turn the calendar into November, our six-year-old grandson sighed: “Oh, November. There’s so much to do in November . . . like getting ready for December!” 

The frenzy has begun. At our mall, Christmas carols are playing, stores are frantically replacing Halloween stuff with Christmas glitz, and even Santa himself has arrived. Our mailbox fills with catalogues, and Black Friday sales are already beginning online. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving (what was that, again?) is still over 3 weeks away.

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Glorious Fall!  A Season of New Beginnings

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Glorious Fall!  A Season of New Beginnings

“Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” 

I love this line from the classic movie You’ve Got Mail by Nora Ephron. Why? Because I love fall, too! Here in New England, we are experiencing the first few days of cool, crisp air that ushers in the most glorious of seasons. Nora Ephron may think fall in New York is lovely, but it certainly can’t compare to the beauty of the autumn foliage we experience here in New England each year.

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School’s Out For Summer

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School’s Out For Summer

It’s that time of year again. The weather is getting warm and students are counting down the days until the end of the school session. For us moms, the thought of summer vacation typically inspires two different responses. Some moms look forward to summer vacation with joyful anticipation. “I can’t wait! We are going to have so much fun.” Some moms think about summer vacation in a fearful panic. “How am I going to entertain these kids all summer long without school, sports and other scheduled activities?!” And there are many moms who vacillate between these two reactions, depending on the day!

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Four Mother’s Day Gifts

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Four Mother’s Day Gifts

I’ve been thinking a lot about moms lately. Big surprise there—right? Of course I think about moms all year round. Quite continually, actually. But especially at this time of year. Our local Mom to Mom group just said our summer goodbyes. Mother’s Day is coming up. I marvel regularly at the heroic love the moms in our family (Erika, Kelly, and Abby) give their husbands and children. 

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I’ve Got a Lot of Questions . . .

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I’ve Got a Lot of Questions . . .

I live in a world of questions. Mostly unanswered—or unanswerable, this side of Heaven—questions. I’m betting you do, too.

Young moms I dearly love are asking tough ones. Why did my 13-year-old have to die? Why does one young family have so many children with major medical problems and special needs?

Why does a pregnant mom with three young children have cancer? Big questions are circling around my neighborhood, too, as one of our own—an incredibly resilient, positive, fun-loving friend who has struggled gracefully with unimaginable challenges for years—now grapples with yet another seemingly insurmountable battle. To name only a few recent questions. Come to think of it, I have a lot of my own right now, too.

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Lookpots, Grinches, and What If’s

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Lookpots, Grinches, and What If’s

“Daddy, are you coming to the Look-pot today?” A wide-eyed three-year-old looks over at her daddy at the breakfast table. 

“The Look-pot?” A moment of confusion, and then the daddy (our son Lars) replies: “Oh, you mean the potluck. Yes, I am coming, Linnea.” 

“And Daddy, are you gonna look?” 

Linnea’s question remained with me long after this charming little conversation. It remained even after we ourselves got to go to the Thanksgiving Potluck at our granddaughters’ preschool during a recent wonderful visit to Kodiak, Alaska.

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Does It Really? Change Everything?

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Does It Really? Change Everything?

“The biggest thing I’ve learned at Mom to Mom is that God loves me. Really loves me. Even me. Others have tried to tell me. But somehow I couldn’t believe it. You know, the way I am. But this year through Mom to Mom, I have truly felt God’s love. And you know, Linda, when you know God loves you, really loves you, it changes everything.”

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