This past weekend was Valentines Day. So many people have different opinions on the holiday. Some love to show their special someone how much they mean to them on this day. Others feel more single than ever. Still some just see it as a holiday that Hallmark invented. I personally love the holiday….I always have. The splash of red and pink as you enter any store for the preceding month just makes my heart happy. I have to resist the urge to buy all the little knick knacks that are advertised. I always buy my employees little Valentines, hoping to make them smile just a little bit at the gesture. Sometimes I get…
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Grace In Life’s Messes: Hope for Blended Families
I want to take a few minutes to talk about something that is pretty close to my heart. I hesitate though, because I don’t know the answers the majority of the time. Most of the things I write about, I haven’t perfected and probably don’t do well; but I at least know what I’m supposed to do, how I’m supposed to act. But when it comes to this, I don’t know. And if I’m really honest, the fear of failure here is another reason that I hesitate to start this dialogue. A dialogue about step-parenting and blended families. It’s so rarely talked about, but so real life. There isn’t a…
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A True Partner: Using My Strengths Even When It’s Not Glamorous
I recently had the opportunity to go to a Chris Stapleton concert with a friend. It was super last minute thing, but we had a blast. The music was great and the time to catch up with a sweet friend was invaluable. I’m not sure if you know this about Chris Stapleton, but his one and only back up singer is his wife. That’s not something you see very often in the entertainment world, so it’s always intrigued me. And not just me. The next week at work, I told someone that I had been to the concert, and her response was “Cool….was his wife singing with him?”. To see…
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Playing With Dolls
Hallie absolutely LOVES baby dolls- a stage I hope she stays in for at least a little while longer. I love watching her fill up an old purse of mine with used gift cards in one of my mom’s old wallets, a defunked cell phone, a mystery set of keys, and a checkbook cover and register. She feels so grown up wearing the purse and pushing the stroller and baby around the house. A friend of ours recently gave me a bag containing a couple of American Girl dolls, a bunk bed, and a handful of outfits. She knew the girls would enjoy them, but I think she had an…
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The Mold of a Mother
Everyone at some point in life has a mold that they feel the need to fit into. A title that comes with a checklist to be successful. Athlete, executive, husband, jock, nerd, girlfriend, pastor, coach, daughter. The list could go on. We are defined by labels and accomplishments in our culture. One mold that’s been on my mind a lot lately has been that of mother. It’s about the time of year, when we celebrate our mothers and the sacrifices they have made over the years and still make for us. I know I’m forever grateful to my mother. She raised me to love Jesus, know wrong from right. She…
