When I was in 4th grade, I joined Girl Scouts. I didn't know much about the mission or what joining would entail... I just reeeeeally wanted to sell the cookies.
My involvement lasted about as long as the "cookie season," and that was enough for me. In that short time, however, I did learn that there...
It's been quite the week of spam and awfulness on my phone.
New, very sneaky tactics are trying to use tragedy and emotion to prompt link clicks. Some of these messages seem so legitimate, and then a beat to think and step back allows wisdom to whisper, "False."
At closer glance, I can see that payin...
We attended "back to school" night for our high schoolers last week, and something we heard in the girls' choir class stood out to me.
"You'll see your students' grades kind of go like this," their teacher said, making an up-and-down motion with her hand. "This is by design."
Sensing the rising intri...
Have you ever watched a bird take flight?
There's a jump and a few wing flaps, and it's airborne. Larger birds like swans and geese take more of a run than a jump because of their size, but even then it doesn't take much.
Their natural design -- strong muscles in the chest and feathers that catch the...
The toddler who is learning to walk doesn't ask for help.
The loving parent simply reaches down and offers a finger to hold.
Tiny feet, chubby thighs, wobbly knees all work together as they learn to fight gravity --
all while the loving parent smiles, delighting in their progress
because they know th...
Embryos look more like aliens than babies, but we know this is the first phase for every human. We don't doubt that, even though it starts out looking nothing like we envision.
Our creative projects are similar. They start out looking like aliens, with all kinds of potential that we don't see. We wan...
Recipes only work when you gather the ingredients and follow the steps. Turning to the page and wanting to make it won't get you very far, no matter how good the recipe is, no matter how much you think about it.
And just because you choose and make one recipe, doesn't mean you're limited to only ever...
A beautiful gift can be given and not received.
The giver can want the recipient to accept and cherish it, but that doesn't mean they will.
This doesn't tell you anything about the gift or the giver.
It simply says that the recipient wasn't ready or able to accept the gift.
God's gifts are everywhere,...
I had the best customer service welcome EVER yesterday. Our twins and I spontaneously decided to stop at 7-Eleven (can't say I've ever actually written that out...) for a treat. We chatted normally as we walked in the door, but were greeted by the most surprisingly cheerful gasp and a jolly middle-a...
When stars are interviewed on the red carpet, they're often asked, "Who are you wearing?"
I've been thinking a lot about labels lately, and the connection came to my mind about designer labels.
As we grow up, we're given labels to wear -- starting with our parents/caregivers, then expanding to friend...
You can make all kinds of guesses about what a baby will be like before it's born, but it's a waste of your time.
The baby will come with its own personality and gifts.
The baby will grow, and you will celebrate what he/she is becoming.
The baby will make mistakes, and you will love it anyway.
Your time...
You can make life decisions based on fact, or based on fiction.
The difference is the set of assumptions you start out with.
If you begin with assumptions that haven't undergone some serious scrutiny, you run the risk of ending up with a very crumbly foundation. Making big decisions this way will le...
