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Receiving the Greatest Gift
I have many fond Christmas memories, but one year in particular stands out to me. I was a sophomore in college and living in the international housing on campus, though my roommate was also from Arizona. We had a mutual friend, but we didn’t really know each other beyond that when the year began. But…
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Eras: Father’s Day 2023
Going through old poetry is like flipping through a photo album or reading a diary: it transports me back to the time I wrote it. I’ve noticed I can tell a certain “era” of my life based on the themes present in my poetry. Even if the subject matter is vague, to me it’s as…
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Disrupting the Status Quo
There’s a fairy tale I often think about that involves a farmer with lots of children. He complains about how little space he has and dreams of the day he can buy a big farmhouse to fit everyone. A wise old woman tells him how he can fix his problem–bring all the chickens inside the…
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Turning Points: Mother’s Day 2023
Mother’s Day is different for me, now that I’m a mom. It’s not so much that I’m included in the festivities, although that’s special too. It’s different because I see my own mom in a new light. All the years of sacrifice, the hardship, the open arms and encouraging words–parts of my childhood that I…
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Letting Go of Old Laundry
About twice a year, I get the itch—the Big Closet Purge. I set out full of good intentions, planning to make more space in the drawers and keep it that way, at least until a sale at my favorite store rolls around. But for some reason, I always find myself trapped in the same hole. …
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For Every Season
Lately I’ve been reminded to let God be God, no matter the season He’s given me to dwell in. There’s a certain art to being content no matter our life’s epoch, and King Solomon also wisely said in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” …
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Finding Contentment in Life’s Circumstances
About a year ago, my husband and I moved from a two-bedroom apartment to another two-bedroom apartment in a different complex. The previous one had a pest control problem, and without going into detail, let’s just say we couldn’t wait to pack up the baby and run. The new place (aside from being bug-free, the…
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Booger Hugs and Soggy Cheerios
There’s one thing nobody told me about becoming a mom: that certain things would bother me a whole lot less than they used to. Talk to any new parent and it wouldn’t be unusual to hear them discussing the color and consistency of poop, or any other number of topics not considered polite dinner conversation. …