Five Ways to Have a Merry Little Christmas

Our daughters were in elementary school when we took a Christmas road trip to Arizona to visit my husband’s snowbird parents. We left evergreens and snow for cacti and desert temps. And instead of a traditional Minnesota celebration with extended family, we served...

A Shelling Revelation

Recently I was on vacation in Sanibel Island in Florida. Sanibel and its neighbor Captiva are called the Shell Islands and are known for the best shelling in the world. After watching the sun rise over the Gulf of Mexico, I headed out to the beach to find those...

Stop Hiding

My daughter’s small voice swelled as it rose above those around her in worship last Sunday. I watched as she poured her whole self into the effort, an experience that consumed all of her — mind, body, and spirit. It wasn’t perfectly tuned, perfectly...

Superwoman I Am Not!

I consider myself to be a healthy mix of Martha Stewart, the Boy Scouts and MacGyver. I am pretty stinkin’ organized, am usually pretty well prepared, and I can improvise really well. But then there are times when I show my true human nature. Take this recent...