When I was young, I remember a man we called “Shorty,” that lived with my grandparents. After Shorty left, Mr. Lewis lived with them for a while. As I was entering my teen years, my dad’s uncle moved in with our family until his death...
Lst weekend a friend told me about a Christian movie that came out that many youth groups were going to. I hadn’t heard anything about it at all, but over the past week I heard more and more about this effective piece of media.Yesterday Mark and I decided...
This year’s Hearts at Home conference theme is “Moms the Word.” We’ll be focusing on the power of our words–both positive and negative. I believe it will be one of the most cohesive, powerful themes we’ve had in our 16...
I recently heard a phrase that I’d never heard before: attention infidelity.I’m familiar with both words, but I’ve never heard them used together. Since hearing the phrase, I’ve not been able to get it out of my mind. The term...
I spent Wednesday of this week at my son’s school. I was a guest speaker for all the 8th grade writing classes. That morning before he got on the bus he informed me that, because I was speaking in his class, this was the worst day of his life. ...
Today I’d like to share an article I wrote for the holidays. We’ll use it to launch our Christmas discussion and giveaway today. You’ll find info about both after the article!Random Acts of Christmas Kindnessby Jill Savage Late one Fall, my son and I...
Turn on the television these days and you’ll find just about every kind of makeover show possible. We seem to be drawn to this makeover madness by our desire for something fresh and new in our complicated, and sometimes disorganized lives.I’ve recently become aware of...
Last week, Mark and I had a wonderful week at the Blessing Ranch in Livermore, CO. It was great getting away from the everyday. But truly, there is no place like home.As usual, while preparing for our trip, I struggled leaving my kids. I always do. This was the first...
So tonight my newly married daughter, Erica, accompanied me to a speaking engagement in Morris, IL. After it was over and we were packing up the book table she said, “You did a great job tonight, Mom. I think the last time I helped you (which was a couple of...
Today (Wednesday) I’ll be traveling to Rochester, MN, for the NorthCentral Regional Hearts at Home Conference. I LOVE spending the weekend with almost 2,000 moms! We all come together to get our mommy batteries recharged!If you live within driving distance of...
Last week I posted about a new book for parents of chronically or critically ill children. I promised a giveaway of two books to two of my readers who posted a comment indicating they could use the book in some way. Because only three people posted comments, I’m...
Today’s been a big family day for me. My dad had back surgery today in Indianapolis. I was blessed to be able to be with my mom and dad Sunday night thru Monday evening. Surgery went well but he’s got a bit of a recovery ahead of him.I left Indy to drive...
As a parent of older children, I’ve learned that my older children may not share the dream I personally have for their life. Coming to grips with the reality of that is an essential part of letting go and launching them into adulthood.But what if the...
When our kids started wanting to go to movies with their friends, Mark and I discovered Focus on the Family’s “Plugged In” Resource. We subscribed to the monthly magazine and tapped into their online movie and video reviews. In fact, our kids soon...
Two years ago we had the opportunity to share our home with a young man from Poland. Daniel stayed with us for about a month and simply became a member of the family. This past week he came again for five days. We loved the time spent with him. We continue to help him...
