Many years ago, before I was a mother, my husband and I strolled around a Norman Rockwell exhibit at the art museum in downtown Nashville. The walls were lined with his visions of the iconic family and also the social events of the time. The genius of Rockwell was that he made you wishful and wistful and also grateful for the family you had. I know you know his famous Thanksgiving picture, with everyone smiling …

I CORINTHIANS 13:4 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. I PETER 2:9 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. So, last week was a test for me, but I didn’t know it. I wanted to say thank …

Mattel pulled a much-anticipated and hotly-debated toy recently. Aristotle, a device geared for children anywhere from infancy to adolescence, was set up to be the kid’s version of Alexa. It boasted features such as the ability to soothe a crying baby, teach ABCs, reinforce good manners, play interactive games, and help kids with homework. Marketed as an “all-in-one nursery necessity” on Mattel’s website, it also offered e-commerce functionality that would enable Aristotle to automatically reorder …

It is 2000, I’ve just turned 18, and I’m excited to vote in my first presidential election. It’s Gore and Bush, in it until the very end. I watch the debates, register early, and read up on the issues. I ready myself for November. It feels momentous. I’d grown up in a house talking politics – always a one-sided discussion. They were tried and true red, through and through. But my grandparents were all blue …

ROMANS 1:7-8 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.  It’s November, the month of Thanksgiving and also thanks-giving for all we have and for all God had done in …

“If it takes a village to raise a child, it can also take one to make one. The fact that I’ve made it to the other side does not mean I’ve forgotten the road that took me here.” And so, I am sharing on Her View From Home and I’m staying thankful as best I can. Click the picture below to read my story. *Thinking out loud.

In her notes on her debut novel, Lilli de Jong, Janet Benton writes, “The difficult work of mothers has long been drastically under-recognized. I wanted to tell a story in which women’s strength was crucial to the world’s surviving and thriving—as it truly is and always has been.” How could I not write about review about a book that is meant to celebrate all our hard work? How can we not cheer along with Benton …

1 CHRONICLES 28:20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.   Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a novel of a boy and his father’s search for habitable earth in a cold and dying world, was one of …

There are many scientific reasons why adolescence is the worst time in your life, second only to menopause (and maybe even nosing ahead). At least you’re not spending menopause trapped in a confined space with other menopausal people. At least you can take it out on your spouse, kids, and co-workers. At least you’ve got a glass of cabernet at the end of the day to stave off the malaise. Adolescence in the 90s was …

I dreamed that my husband didn’t recognize me. We were the same age we are now and I tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and I went in for a kiss and he recoiled, politely and with great care. And then he smiled at me, pried my fingers off his arm, and turned back to whatever faceless person he had been talking to. It was that smile that did it. It’s the smile he …