Journey Archives - Page 4 of 4

Single ≠ Invisible

Dear single gal sitting around a restaurant table with all of your coupled friends and feeling like a third wheel, I see you.

Dear single gal sitting in the church pew alone, I see you.

Dear single gal standing up in yet another wedding wondering when it will be your turn to wear the white dress, I see you.

Dear single gal going on amazing adventures while wishing you had someone to share the experience with, I see you.

Encouragement For The Tired Mama

Dear tired mama: You are not alone. I get you. I see you.

I am in the stage of life that is characterized by chaos, cleaning up messes, and refereeing sibling squabbles. My kids are seven and a half, six, four and two. I haven’t slept through the night in years except for the rare night away I get with my husband (make that happen, if at all possible, at least twice a year! Your marriage is worth it!).

My kids have had colds lately so that’s made for some rough and heavily interrupted nights. And my two year old is still nursing so she doesn’t sleep through the night yet. It is HARD.

When You Realize You Can’t Control Your Children–And That’s OK

If I’m honest, I think the most surprising thing about watching my five children grow up is how little resemblance they actually bear to me. They look like me, and have a few of my personality quirks, but at the end of the day they are completely different people.

One example: I love nature. Nature brings me joy. Science says nature is good for you. I want my children to grow up valuing nature. On the other hand, I have two sons who are homebodies and have no desire to ever leave the house. They love Minecraft, and reading, and drawing–none of which involve the Great Outdoors.

The Mundane Life: An Opportunity For Thanks And Praise

As a small child I thought I would grow up to be a princess and a mom. When I got older I thought I might teach piano lessons and high school English. At one point I thought I would be a doctor or surgeon, and wanted to be the next Dana Scully performing autopsies for the FBI. Then I thought I would become an author while also being a church worker. Everytime I imagined my life, I pictured it full of grand adventures; the idea of being a “grown up” with a job and money to travel and do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted was so alluring. Little did I know that “adulting” is nowhere near as glamorous as it seems when you’re young!

That’s not to say that adult life is “boring.”

Three Guiding Words During The Parenting Years

Raising another human is…overwhelming. When we brought our first child home from the hospital, we were both struck that everything was now on us. There was no nurse down the hall as a back up. “Why did they let us take her home? What were they thinking? We are not prepared for this!”

My favorite mug states it well: “Today’s goal: Keep the tiny humans alive.” It is a monumental task. It’s also the most important thing we’ll ever do. But hey, no pressure.
I’m on the other side of the parenting looking glass now. I moved from full-time to consultant status several years ago. We raised 2 daughters and now have 4 grandkids.

Let’s Just Talk About How Our Overweight Body Consumes Us

Because, first of all, we don’t talk about it with anyone. This is a lonely struggle.

Being overweight has been a thing for me since 7th grade. The girls all did a “what do you weigh” in the locker room before gym class and I was maybe 4 pounds higher than those of similar height. It was the beginning.

Do you remember the first moment you felt overweight?

My history with fitness started in the first grade. Any time we would be made to run, my side hurt badly. I gave up on running early on.

Longing For Home

I didn’t plant flowers this year.

I always plant the flowers. In the 20+ years of home ownership, I would wait until May to plant annuals in the ground. Every year. But currently we are renting, and so I am not planting in the ground. Instead I have taken to making my little porch an oasis of flower pots. And I start planting pots in March, as soon as Lowes puts them out!

I love my porch.

But this year...I just wasn't feeling it in March. And April.

The Present Parent

If only parenting came with a “how-to” manual or a training guide. You can read all of the books out there on the market, and yet when that day comes, you may remember a nugget or two on the “how-to” that you’ve pocketed for later, but most likely, you’re going off of instinct. You start to just do. It’s trial and error day by day. This is what comes naturally.

However, there will be days you may think to yourself “Oh my goodness” …

-I totally failed
-That did not go as planned
-I’ve messed this kid/these kids up

Busyness Overload

I don’t know about you, but I tend to live life to the fullest.

Or rather, I fill my life too full. It’s an auto-pilot thing for me.

If I’ve got time, I’ve got space to fill that time.

Maybe you can relate, or maybe you view busyness in a slightly different way, but would still like to let go of some of what holds you captive. I mean, keeps you busy…

I once would have told you “There is no such thing as being too busy” or that “multitasking can add

The Hopeless And Desperate And Lonely Feeling Of Personal Debt

Late in my twenties I was drowning.

The water. It felt manageable.

Go deeper. I can handle it. It’s fine.

Soon all I could see is water.

Things got rough. Unexpected things started pulling me under.

The water was all around me, on top of me, in me. Who could help? No one was there. There seemed to be no way out.
I was drowning in debt.