A Journey through Summer

The Coloring of Motherhood By Leah Garner W e recognize the outline. The actions and movements seem familiar. Seen from afar, or under a microscope of scrutiny The emotions find empathy inside us, but perhaps in a different setting. A glimmer of something we dreamt, but we cannot quite touch in our waking moments. And then we cross over into our own motherhood. G oing from the world of instruction and paint by number, into an expansive palette of colors with the brushes in our hands. We think back on the Masters we admired and try to follow their strokes. Our hands hesitate to make a mark like those criticized for their art. A nd yet… W ith each stroke we find the colors dry different than when first applied. Sometimes the picture gets more complicated the harder that we try. Taking a step back helps us see a bigger picture; appreciate the unique colors for what they are. W e see our child. And our children hold brushes too, Pai...

Greetings from the depths... The depths ... ...of winter ...of the bottomless pit of homework ...of despair over a crisis of faith ...of being overwhelmed with the responsibility and magnitude of parenthood A lot is happening all the time in life.  Sometimes we feel it stronger than others.  This week has been one of those times.  The world seems soooo... big and wrong and you feel so small trying to do anything right. And yet, as I tell my kids, we are responsible for our own actions.  No one else.  So even though it may seem small, I will do my part. I will teach .  Teach my kids they are loved always.  Teach them to be kind, loving, and gentle to everyone they meet. I will love.   Without judgment, just grace. I will learn.   I will keep open to new ideas and information to help me guide my actions and lead my family. My crocuses have been trying to bloom since January.  Snow keeps coming to keep them buried, but the...

As our youngest approaches his 4th birthday, I realized this is the longest we have seen a child grow without another sibling on the way. Our family is in a transition from growing in size to growing up. Our family is at the right size, but it is also bittersweet to think of no more babies.  But then I realize all the adventures we can now try and enjoy with everyone being older and more independent. We were at a family camp a few weeks ago and it hit me that keeping track of three kids no longer felt like taking care of three hundred.  Having other kids to play with and parents to help keep an eye out for everyone also made the event more manageable and enjoyable. Plus, I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited about the dream of everyone in the house being potty trained. There will always be new challenges, life events, hormonal changes, and new discernments along the way.  But as the kids grow, we will also grow as parents. For now, we will enjoy that there are ...