Tales from a Mid-Lifer

  • Wordless Wednesday

    After a 6-month long winter for those of us in the Northeast, how extra precious Spring has been this year…

  • Trouble Will Come. Why Am I Surprised?

    “In the world you’ll have trouble.” John 16:33 Many people draw closer to God when trouble comes. I tend to step back, surprised by it. As if I should somehow be immune. I am a passionate prayer partner for others, but struggle when it’s personal. While I lean into God…

  • Will Increased Thanks = More Joy?

    That is the question I look forward to researching myself over the next several months. I have recently returned from a 12-day spring break vacation/college touring experience with my family, and during that time, I read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I know I’m late getting to the party,…

  • The Boston Marathon Bombing

    As today marks the anniversary of last year’s tragedy in Boston, I am re-posting what I wrote last year in response. After contemplating the horror of what happened, my youngest daughter came to the frightening realization that everyone is capable of evil. Boston. Last year on September 11th, my 14-year old daughter…

  • The Storm Inside

    The Storm Inside: Trade the Chaos of How You Feel for the Truth of Who You Are by Sheila Walsh was a pleasant surprise. I made the wrong assumption that this would be another “self-help-sort-of-book” with a Christian base, but it was sincerely so very much more. The book is…

  • I Didn’t Want to Leave Church on Sunday

    I especially didn’t want worship to end. As is often true for believers, sometimes the hardest weeks end in the most intimate worship.  It is something inexplicable to those who don’t know Christ. Praising an invisible God despite disturbing news and years of seemingly unanswered prayers. Those kinds of hard…

  • I Can’t Be All Things To My Kids

    Gulp. I said it. Once upon a time, I really believed I was all things to my kids.  That is probably normal for young Moms with small children. Or, maybe I was just an egomaniac, but I’m going with the fact that I was young and inexperienced. I hadn’t yet…

  • Normal Is Good

    After a fitful sleep last Thursday night, I stumbled into the bathroom half-awake on Friday morning. Going through my regular routine, I held a cotton ball in my hand, ready to use toner on my face. Just before I dunked the cotton ball, my eyes caught sight of the label:…

  • The Berenstain Bears Keep the Faith

    What’s not to love about The Berenstain Bears series? The book, Keep the Faith, will not disappoint either avid Berenstain followers or those brand new to these books. Author Mike Berenstain (son of the original Berenstain Bears authors: Stan and Jan Berenstain) does a terrific job of creating an age-appropriate…

  • Are You Tired of Wearing Boots Too?

    With half the country experiencing the wintriest winter in years, I know I’m not alone when I say, “I’m tired of wearing boots!” I admit that by early October, I look forward to putting on pretty scarves, cable-knit sweaters and cute boots. It’s fun! I can wear them… or not.…

  • Wordless Wednesday

  • Is It Really All “Small” Stuff?

    In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s when the “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: And It’s All Small Stuff” books were at the height of their popularity, I would read the title and wonder, “What about the Mom of twins who just found out that she has stage 4 cancer?…