5 Prayers to Daily Pray for My Children

Some of the sweetest words I hear my kids often say to me are “Mom, will you pray for me?”  It might be before a recital they are nervous about or a thunderstorm brewing outside that causes fear in one of them, or just because something is on their heart.  One thing they know they can ALWAYS count on, is that mom will pray for them.

There's a fifth person in our house now. She smells like springtime.

A person with chubby cheeks and large blue eyes, with a strong neck who already rolls from side to side and whose favorite place is in someone's arms, a person who is completely vulnerable and dependent and whose hungry cry rattles my soul.

And I find myself walking a lot these days. With her in my arms, because she's crying more than any other baby I've had, and also walking outside, alone, down the country roads, searching for God.

Marriage is hard but it doesn't have to be impossible. 

A few years ago, we moved into a quaint and modest three-bedroom brick house. Built in the 1920s, it’s a beautiful home for its age, but it also has its bumps and bruises. Like anything, time takes its toll. But it has, and still, endures.

If you have ever bought anything new, you know it doesn’t take long to develop cracks, rust, dents, dings, and a long list of other imperfections. Whatever is new eventually starts to fall apart.

Marriage is no exception.