Family and Parenting – Page 13 – Choosing This Moment

On Rough Days and Mommy Wars and Grace

Posted: February 16, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 3 Comments

It had been one of those days. Two weeks of waking every forty-five minutes to settle a sick baby had taken their toll, and I was beginning to feel the warning signs that a cold was in my future, too: the aching joints, the pounding head, that tickle in the throat and chest that hint at … Continue reading "On Rough Days and Mommy Wars and Grace"

Worthwhile Weekend Words

Posted: February 14, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn No Comments

I sometimes have a hard time remembering that small things matter. Perhaps that’s a part of why I started this blog – to remind myself, more than anyone, that faith happens in the daily, in the mundane, in the ordinary, that I need to choose, this moment, who I am going to serve. There were … Continue reading "Worthwhile Weekend Words"

Relationships That Can Never Be

Posted: February 06, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn No Comments

She sits on his lap, tiny fingers reaching first for his own age-spotted ones, then for his starched plaid collar, then for his mouth, which curves up as her touch flits across his cheek. Her head follows her hand, slowly traveling up until their gazes lock. The look lasts only a moment before she is … Continue reading "Relationships That Can Never Be"

On Winter Storms

Posted: January 27, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn No Comments

The snow swirls, flakes drifting lazily from a storm-darkened sky. I must admit this is somewhat anticlimactic; yesterday, they were predicting doom and gloom, telling us that certainly the end was coming, that we would all be confined to our homes as the world turned white. There will be piles of snow, they told us, … Continue reading "On Winter Storms"

Worth the Risk

Posted: January 14, 2015 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 1 Comment

“We hope to give Katie siblings some day, brothers or sisters as companions and playmates and friends. And despite the pain we suffered, despite our ability to conceive without medical intervention, we hope that one or more of those siblings might come through adoption.” I’ve got another post up at Brain, Mother today – join … Continue reading "Worth the Risk"

Dancing, Despair and Hope

Posted: December 17, 2014 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 1 Comment

We danced the other night, Katie and I. Lest you have any visions of grace and beauty running through your mind at that statement, let me dispel them right now: by “danced”, I mean I spun awkward circles in my living room, made fumbling sashay steps back and forth, and sang an off-key version of … Continue reading "Dancing, Despair and Hope"

Of Infant Sleep and Answered Prayer

Posted: December 12, 2014 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 2 Comments

Note: This may seem like a standard new-parent-detailing-of-infant-sleep (or lack thereof) at first, but hang in there! There’s more to this post than that. In the past several weeks, Katie has decided that sleep is simply not for her. She has fought naps, arching her back and crying when I try to convince her to … Continue reading "Of Infant Sleep and Answered Prayer"

A Glimpse of Love

Posted: December 04, 2014 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 1 Comment

We traveled for Thanksgiving, packed our suitcase and our little girl into the car and made the oh-so-very-long drive through the desert to my Grandpa’s house nine hours away. She did well, Katie did, sleeping a good portion of the way, only needing the calming presence of Mom or Dad in the backseat and the … Continue reading "A Glimpse of Love"

Focusing on the Finish Line

Posted: November 25, 2014 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 2 Comments

I’m not usually one for cutesy sayings, for pithy quotes, for warm and fuzzy cliches – in fact, I generally scorn them. Though I often strive for contemplative and beautiful here in this space, my sense of humor tends toward the cynical and the sarcastic. (Case in point: I find this post and its follow-up … Continue reading "Focusing on the Finish Line"

Past Sorrows and Present Joys

Posted: November 06, 2014 Under: Family and Parenting

By Jenn 8 Comments

She caught me in the church parking lot a few weeks back, waved at me as I was unlocking the car door, walked over to say hello. It had been some time since I’d seen her last and she had never met Katie, so she commented on her smile and her amazing infant Mohawk and … Continue reading "Past Sorrows and Present Joys"

Choosing This Moment

Finding the beauty in the everyday

Category: Family and Parenting

On Rough Days and Mommy Wars and Grace

Worthwhile Weekend Words

Relationships That Can Never Be

On Winter Storms

Worth the Risk

Dancing, Despair and Hope

Of Infant Sleep and Answered Prayer

A Glimpse of Love

Focusing on the Finish Line

Past Sorrows and Present Joys