Good morning... Our four kids have left their grandmother's house, a modest log home beside a small lake in Pennsylvania. "It's really more like a pond," one of our daughters said this year, as we can see from one end of the lake to the other. Thirty-three of us gathered from all over the country - Washington state, [...]
Good morning... As our baby turns 20 years old today, our family of six has officially survived the teen years. What have we learned along life's bumpy way? We serve God as we serve our family. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people (Ephesians 6:7, NIV). Trust God from the bottom of your heart; [...]
Good morning... As I wake on our thirty-fourth wedding anniversary, I am drawn to a quirky picture hanging on our wall. Several months back I found this framed photo on a shelf at Goodwill. I brought her home, hung her upside down, and dumped out all of the dreams this image evokes. These playful children make me think [...]
Good morning... "Sue, I loved this daily devotional," she wrote after yesterday's post Fun Family Photos. "I'm one of five children and can so relate. Family trips are some of the best learning ground. I am printing out the paragraphs below to pin up on my fridge -- maybe for the whole summer. So important to remember. Thank [...]
Good morning... My friend shared breathtaking photos from Bryce Canyon National Park in yesterday's blog, Taught By A Tree. Inspired by our post, I walked downstairs and took off the wall a photo collage of our family during our pop up camper days. I snapped a few pictures of some of my favorite photos. Our long trips out [...]
Good morning... Wildly generous artist Corinne Adams and I had a delightful time creating jewelry this month for the kids at the Agape Youth and Family Center (see our recent post I Feel Like Santa's Elf). Then our joy was made more complete as we and a few Julie's Dream volunteers spent Wednesday afternoon helping bilingual children of [...]
Good morning... "Every year since we've been married, we've traveled to see our families," she said over the phone yesterday. "Today is the day we always leave, we head up north, we go to my parent's home to gather with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. Then we spend time with my husband's family. For the first time, [...]
Good morning... This morning, I have the privilege of taping a podcast on grief with nurse practitioner, Ginna MacFarling, and Northside Church's Director of Adult Discipleship, James Johnson. Having walked beside many through the grieving process, twice Ginna has helped to lead our well-loved six-week series, "Living Fully - Dying Well." Preparing for our podcast, Ginna gathered some [...]
Good morning... "First snow day of the season!" my sister texted the picture above from her small town in Ohio. As kids growing up in a suburb of Cleveland, we absolutely loved snow days off from school. "Oh how gorgeous," I replied. "We had minuscule specks of snow blowing in the air yesterday. Your beautiful snow photo provides [...]
Good morning... Sitting social distanced beneath our back porch, she pulled out her phone and texted me photos of a fun activity she had done with her grandchildren, tracing their outstretched arms, painting and cutting out the paper arms, and sending them to their great grandmother with a personal love poem. She gave me permission to share this [...]
