Jenn – Page 5 – Choosing This Moment

Toddler Steps and the End of the World

Posted: August 25, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 3 Comments

Things have an apocalyptic (in the world-ending sense of the word) feel to them these days. A massive explosion in Lebanon. Wildfires and rolling blackouts here at home. A derecho storm taking out swaths of the Midwest. Back-to-back hurricanes threatening the southern US. Shady governmental dealings in Belarus and Russia and China (okay, so, nothing … Continue reading "Toddler Steps and the End of the World"

On Sunflowers, Gratitude, and Joy

Posted: July 31, 2020 Under: Loving God

By Jenn 2 Comments

About a month ago, I bought sunflowers. Our local CSA had them on offer for $1 a stem, five-gallon buckets full of bright beauty, cut fresh that morning. I’m no home-decorator. Flowers aren’t my love language. I don’t fawn over bouquets. But they caught my eye when I picked up our veggies for the week, … Continue reading "On Sunflowers, Gratitude, and Joy"

What I Can Control

Posted: May 15, 2020 Under: Loving God

By Jenn 7 Comments

Seven years ago, I became an armchair expert in adoption law. Our attorney gave us printed copies of the relevant California Supreme Court cases, dozens of pages of small-print legalese. I pored over them, highlighter in hand, noting similarities between those cases and ours. I constructed a meticulous timeline of events. I typed up a … Continue reading "What I Can Control"

Stories from Lockdown

Posted: May 08, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 10 Comments

Eight weeks ago, when the term “social distancing” was just beginning to infiltrate our national vocabulary, when the first wave of events was being cancelled out of an “abundance of caution,” when toilet paper memes were starting to make their way around social media, the two small girls of this house decided to play one … Continue reading "Stories from Lockdown"

Finding Hope in the Fog

Posted: April 02, 2020 Under: Loving God

By Jenn 1 Comment

We woke to fog yesterday. As late as Sunday, the local Facebook weather guy was forecasting spring warmth for this week. Monday, he said, we’d see partly cloudy weather, but Tuesday would be the first of several dry and sunny days. He was wrong. A rarity, for him. The first half of this week was … Continue reading "Finding Hope in the Fog"

How to Use This Time Well

Posted: March 26, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 3 Comments

Confession: we have not done much that resembles “school” around here the last few days. This, despite the fact that we have nowhere to go, no place to be except home. This, despite the fact that we are used to this homeschooling gig and have not been thrust into it involuntarily like so many others. … Continue reading "How to Use This Time Well"

How to Live During a Pandemic

Posted: March 23, 2020 Under: This Thing Called Life

By Jenn 1 Comment

Recently, my phone has become a black hole, somehow pulling me toward it with more force than usual. I’ve been sucked into the cycle, checking the constantly-updated pages of the major media outlets for the latest news whenever I have a spare moment. I know this is no way to live a life, even a … Continue reading "How to Live During a Pandemic"

Spring is Here

Posted: March 19, 2020 Under: This Thing Called Life

By Jenn 4 Comments

Here in the northern hemisphere, today is the first day of spring. You may have missed this, given all that is happening in the world. I almost did. It’s a small, seemingly inconsequential thing, buried as it is amongst death tolls and job losses and “shelter-in-place” orders. Easy to let it slip by, unnoticed, unmarked. … Continue reading "Spring is Here"

I’m Not Enough

Posted: March 10, 2020 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn No Comments

You are enough. It’s a popular statement these days, offered to young parents lost in the doldrums of self-doubt, of worry, of guilt. You are enough. Whoever you are, no matter your failings and weaknesses, whatever your personality and strengths, you are enough. Your child needs you, as you are, and no other. You are … Continue reading "I’m Not Enough"

Justifying My Existence

Posted: March 07, 2020 Under: This Thing Called Life