Fostering a Spirit of Gratitude in your Family
This past week while my mom was in town, she gave me one of the best gifts in the world. She did all my laundry for me, and cooked some delicious, healthy lunches and dinners. I would be working in my office, and she would say “Okay, lunch is ready.” And I would walk out to the kitchen table and see a huge salad waiting for me to devour. One day I jokingly said to my mom “I think I need to hire you as my personal chef and laundress.” It was such a special treat for me, and I was so...
Read MoreDear God, Our Dog Abby Died
Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words: Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that...
Read MoreLet the Simple Blessings in Life Touch Your Heart
Today was my day to spend some quality time with my great friend Donna. We always meet at our local Starbucks. She gets coffee with ice cubes and I get hot chocolate made with skim milk and whipped cream. As I sat sprawled sideways in one of their comfy chairs, one leg hanging over the arm of the chair, a lively woman walks in. She walks up to me, flashes me a great big smile, and says “You look comfy!” I said to her “Well, I am!”, as I grinned back at her. She...
Read MoreA Mom Who Follows A Calling from God
It was November 14, 1998. Her name was Maria Magdalena Zeas. Maria’s husband had just recently walked out on her and her two small children, ages 1 and 3, at the time. She was watching the local news and they were reporting on the terrible conditions in an area by the name of La Chureca. As she stared at the television, the piles of garbage lying everywhere, naked children, drug addicts and plastic houses, she heard a voice in her head. The voice said “Take my Word to that place...
Read MoreThe “To Be” List
A weary mom reached out to me recently and said “I want to have good feelings about doing what it takes each day…” And she went on to elaborate “I feel like I have so much to do, I want to do it, it is just too big and I make the littlest dent after tremendous effort.” My heart went out to this mom. And I know from my experience of working with moms that this is such a common feeling. So many moms are focused on the “to do” list. And we...
Read MoreA Parent’s Prayer for their Teens
Dear God, I need to talk to you for a minute about these kids you gave me. First of all, let me make this clear. I adore them. They amaze me, million different times throughout each day. They are clearly your creation and not my own. And for this, I am thankful. I could have never come up with something this wonderful, even if you had asked me to write out what I had in mind on paper before they were born. But, I want you to know that I am scared. The world looks to me, as their parent, to...
Read MoreWho You Are Makes a Difference
In this season of gratitude, don’t forget to let everyone know they make a difference to you. You, readers of my blog, make a difference to me and many other people. Let’s spread the blue ribbon! Blue Ribbon...
Read MoreSend Godly Love this Holiday Season
When our church announced an opportunity to sing in a choir that was made up of singers from different community churches, I jumped on it. I love to sing, and I especially love worshipping God with soulful, gospel music. Last night our church and three other neighborhood churches sponsored an event called Love Fox Valley. The purpose of the event was to minister to the underprivileged families of Aurora, Illinois. Many of the church families sponsored over 300 children from the area to...
Read MoreOne Month to Live
What if you were told you had 30 days left to live? That is the question I have been asking myself lately. Not because I am morbid and think about death, but because I am reading the book One Month to Live as part of a church-wide challenge. Most of us don’t think about this question because we are convinced we have much longer to live. One mother of young children came face to face with this question while sitting in her local coffee shop. She was sitting enjoying a cup of coffee...
Read MoreLiving an Inspired Life
The theme of my life, these days, seems to be about inspiration. Since connecting to my true life purpose (to inspire others), I’ve been on a quest to be inspired myself. The definitions of inspire I’m talking about are: To infuse (life) by breathing To have an animating effect upon; influence or impel; to stimulate or impel to some creative or effective effort To cause, guide, communicate, or motivate as by divine or supernatural influence To affect with a specified feeling or...
Read More
Our Sponsors
