My friendship with MarLo (far left in picture) is slowly restoring my belief that the pastor’s wife really can have a good friend in the church. I’ve experienced alot of hurt over the years with people coming and going at church. You spend time with them,...
Last week Mark and I had the opportunity to spend a whole 48 hours in Orlando, Florida at a church planting conference. While there I had the opportunity to have dinner with long-distance friends Nancy (left) and Doris (middle). Nancy and Doris used to live in...
Everyone needs a friend or two who you can allow to see the “less than ideal” side of you. My friends Becky, Tonya, and Diane are those friends. Being the CEO of Hearts at Home could be a full-time job if I let it be. But I’m unwilling to do that....
My friend Becky is a cheerleader! She is faithful in cheering me when life is good and when life is hard. She’s also a prayer warrior. When Becky says she will pray…I know she means it. Becky and I live about 30 minutes from each other so we don’t...
My friend Amy is like an adopted aunt to my children. Amy and I met at church. She’s single and lives away from extended family so she’s become a member of our extended family. Amy and I have helped each other out on home projects. We’ve taken care...
My friend Crystal is my walking buddy. She’s also the closest thing to a neighbor that I have. When we first moved to the country, the subdivision I now see out my western windows didn’t even exist. Now I have “neighbors” about a half mile...
The Urgent vs. the ImportantBy Jill SavageWe’re in a solitaire playoff at the Savage household. I recently taught my youngest two sons to play solitaire and now it is their card game of choice. Last night they asked if we could play a couple of games before bedtime....
This real mom, real story comes from my friend MarLo who shared this on her blog. I thought her perspective was incredibly valuable for any parent and I asked her if I could share it with you. May you be encouraged by her words today:My six-year-old daughter had her...
Modestyby Jill SavageSeveral years ago my oldest daughter was asked to attend her first high school Homecoming Dance. She was excited at the prospect of dressing up, going to dinner, and then attending the dance itself. Of course, one of the first things we did was...
Are you looking for more parenting encouragement? Hearts at Home has regular parenting information posted on the Pantagraph website. Every Sunday you’ll find the weekly Hearts at Home column that is published in the paper also on the website. On Tuesdays,...
The start of the new year is a great time to begin something new. For over ten years I’ve had the opportunity to share family encouragement with the readers of the Pantagraph newspaper in Central Illinois. Beginning today, I’ll be sharing an article...
I did something I’ve rarely done in my life on Saturday. I curled up with a book ALL DAY! I don’t think I’ve actually ever done that before. My daughter, Anne, was visiting and she had the “John and Kate plus 8” book Mixed Blessings. I...
I am so inspired! You all have such wonderful ideas! Here’s an overview of some of the great ideas that have been shared thus far:*Write the things your kids say or do right on your calendar and then keep the calendars.*Write in the journals as if you are...
Wow, already we’ve had six great ideas submitted for creative ways to keep the memories for your kids! I just love it when we can share with one another like this. If you haven’t already read the six ideas submitted, you’ll find them here. Remember...
I’ve stated before that I tend to have an “all or nothing” mindset. This sometimes keeps me from doing the things I want to do because if I can’t do them right then I don’t do them at all.Almost twenty years ago I decided to keep a...
