13 Hours of Rain

It is Halloween. You two kids have been talking about it waaaayyyyy too much, I have to say. Though, I don't blame you. After all, isn't dressing up and eating candy and chips and chocolate and running around in a sugar induced frenzy every kid's fantasy? Your Nana & Nani mildly engaged in Halloween. I think they thought it was kind of bizarre and incredulous that people in this country choose to give away free treats to anyone for just showing up at their door with an open pillow case. Regardless, I have memories of my siblings and I bundling up in our big fat snow suits (because there was usually snow on the ground) and donning on a mask of some animal creature. We'd start trucking through drifts, door to door, with our Daddy's protective presence. We eagerly gathered the chips from the local convenience store owners (they always gave the best stuff). And we said our thank-yous to the neighbor lady five doors down who gave us each an apple, much to our chag...

At some point in my life I became a skeptic. Gone are the days when I blindly believed the words preached from the pulpit, dutifully performed all the advice given by professionals, and enthusiastically accepted all the ideas and traditions proposed by time honored institutions. Now, I can't help but think, analyse, question, and critique. I don't think I am a negative, pessimistic person. Rather, I am a realist who strongly values consistency. Believe me, I do not wake up in the morning and say to myself, "Today I aim to find inconsistencies in this person's thinking or this organization's way of doing things." It. Just. Happens. Most days, I let the thoughts pass while imparting grace on the situation. Other days, the thoughts niggle on my mind, so much so that I have to bring it up. I must admit, there are moments when I wonder if your Daddy and I as well as a few select friends and family are part of a minority that thinks this way. More so, are we an ...

At my last Mom's morning out, we were entertained by a vivacious 20-something who is a make-up artist in a nearby city. She advised us on the current trends, best practices, and what not to do. I chuckled to myself since I am so outdated when it comes to the proper way to apply "my face". And to be perfectly honest, I have come to a space in my life in which foundations, blush, mascara, and lipstick is not a priority anymore. While I do enjoy putting on some cosmetics, I am, for the most part, content with how I look. I believe I am beautiful. And the best thing I can put on when heading to the grocery store is a smile. That being said, here is the "how to" of today: 1. Cleanse face. 2. Use quality brushes instead of the teeny-tiny sponges found in compacts. 3. Apply small quantities of high-end foundation with strong pigmentation. Foundation should match your neck. 4. Set foundation with powder. 5. Apply blush from the ear down. Blend along the sides of...

And that is my post for Oct. 13.

It began yesterday. My son was totally excited about his AWANA club. He repeated his Bible verse over and over again to assure me that it was memorized. He enthusiastically called out to his sister as she headed toward her class, "Have fun at school today!" Then, he witnessed a bunch of kids crying and clinging to their parents. Something changed in his little brain and he entered fight or flight mode. I tried for about twenty minutes to persuade him to stay. Instead of joining in the game, he bellowed, "I'm tired. I'm really, really tired!" My husband attempted to convince and bribe. Nope. No luck. Our son was determined. He was not staying there. I was visibly annoyed. All my plans for accomplishing much needed grocery shopping before a very busy weekend of entertaining vanished. And since my husband's pile of work at school was more pressing than my agenda, I had to sacrifice my evening for the sake of a distraught little boy. "Fine," I sa...

Why is the 20 - 40 something crowd in our church community just not into Missions? Is this typical? Or is our place of worship an anomaly in the grander scheme of Christian things? Many of our young families support Operation Christmas Child by frantically packing boxes of little surprises for underprivileged kids in third-world countries. But when it comes to attending a Missions event to hear a Missionary couple share their exciting stories in some foreign country, the crowd is visibly gray-haired. Is the lack of interest in the area of evangelical missions due to larger commitments to local ministries? Is the idea of travelling overseas to share the message of Christ an undesirable concept since we live in a society that touts tolerance as an axiom, so much so, that it becomes politically incorrect to promote Jesus as the Only Way? Has promoting the social gospel in foreign settings (e.g. building wells, feeding the hungry, etc.) trumped the act of actually speaking the life chan...