’Tis the season for all things Christmas. And yet, there’s so much more to winter. We have the Winter Solstice and Hanukkah and St. Lucia Day and Kwanzaa and Diwali and Las Posadas and the Lunar New Year. There is so much more to celebrate. Kids are continually charmed, as are we, by days demarcated as special and observed with ceremony. Mystery and wonder and culture fill these non-Christmas holidays. These seven children’s books will …

Let it be noted that my love language is not gift-giving. If you are the gift-giver extraordinaire and/or like nothing more than to receive the perfect something, then this tradition might not be for you. But it saved our Christmas and our bank account and for us, it’s the gift that really keeps on giving. For years we operated under the standard gift-giving and gift-receiving protocol. I paid much less attention to this before I …

LUKE 2:4-7 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and …

I just checked my texts. In order of importance and most use, here are the emoji favorites: Laughing face Red heart Peanuts Two-tear crying face Okay sign Winking face Fall leaves Flexed Arm Kiss face Cake slice High-heeled shoe Surprised Face Why the peanuts? Is it because I say “That’s nuts!” so often and my smarter-than-me phone autocorrects? Or is it because I just made chocolate peanut butter cake and told the world about it? …

The house smells of toasted pecans and butter. Outside, the sky hangs heavy and gray with cold – perfect for baking in a warm, well-lit kitchen. In one hour, I will leave to pick up my son from preschool and I will carry his wheelchair and his then-five-year-old self up the stairs and into this homey scene. “The cookies are nothing special,” I will say if anyone asks – my polite way of not giving …

MATTHEW 2:7-8  7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” MATTHEW 2:13-16 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his …

The Museum of Modern Art has a new exhibit. “Items: Is Fashion Modern?” pieces together 111 articles of clothing from low end to high, from basic to extravagant, from eastern to western culture. Each garment must have had “a strong impact on the world in the 20th and 21st centuries – and continue to hold currency today.” 111 items to tell the story of the world. You can walk past a plain white t-shirt and …

Sometimes, the world aligns and gets to see your child just as you’ve seen him every single day since he was born. He is a blessing and his sweet face on the cover of a magazine is the most amazing testament to his story and the spirit of the season that he brings SUCH JOY not just now, but all year round. I am honored to by his mother. Click below to read my most recent …

I SAMUEL 19:4-5 4 Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. 5 He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him …

Most everyone is familiar with the term Occam’s razor – the assumption that the simplest solution is usually correct. It’s what keeps us from spinning out into every possible scenario and lets us move from one point to the next, solving life’s daily mysteries with logic. If Occam’s razor keeps you logical, Hanlon’s razor keeps you peaceable. In short, Hanlon’s razor reads, “Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.” In …