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in family
A Cancelled Vacation Showed Me What Love is Not
As we compared our kids’ school calendar with my husband’s work schedule, one thing became painfully evident: we wouldn’t be able to take a family vacation for the next few months.
I could feel irritation (bordering on anger) rise inside me.
“Are you absolutely sure you can’t take a break?” I asked my husband, my voice whiny ...
Why Risking Vulnerability is Worth It
A couple of weeks ago, I had the joy of attending my college reunion. It has been 25 years since we, the class of ’99, graduated from our programs. We were thrilled to see each other again. There were warm hugs, choruses of “hiiiii’s,” high-pitched screeches of excitement, and giggles like we were back in ...
What’s Holding You Back?
Did you happen to watch the Olympic 100 meters? Talk about a nail-biting finish. The first and second place were as close as close gets.
Noah Lyles won the 100 meters by an incredible .005 seconds to beat Kishane Thompson of Jamaica.
It was probably the closest ever 1-2 finish in the 100 meters in Olympic history. ...
The Heart of the Matter
I’m a wee bit embarrassed to share this story. But here goes.
About twenty-five years ago I was the youth fellowship leader at my church. One of the duties of our youth group was to organize the evening service at our church one Sunday a month. That meant I had to bribe and cajole my fellow ...
A Legacy of Selfless Joy
Funerals are always sorrowful and deeply sobering. But when it’s the funeral of a 21-year-old girl who bravely battled cancer, radiating joy through every painful moment, it’s not just heart-wrenching, it’s also life-transforming.
Jenita is the daughter of my husband’s cousin, Rajiv. Or, more accurately, as Rajiv said at her funeral, he is “Jenita’s dad.” We ...
To My Fellow Mamas Of Teenagers
We’re in the thick of it. The thick of what, you ask? Raising teens, that’s what. The husband and I are the proud parents of a 16-year-old boy and an almost 15-year-old girl. So, as I said, we’re in the middle of those supposedly rebellious, angsty, door-slamming, defiant, hell-raising teen years.
But here’s what we’ve been discovering: the ...
A Good Question for Part 2 of 2024
I’m not completely against Mondays. I quite like them. Hear me out.
Mondays feel like a fresh start. A reset for my weekly goals. A chance to reconfigure my world.
When Monday also happens to be the start of a new month?
Double like. Heart emoji. Chef’s kiss.
And when that Monday is not just the start of any ...
The Answer To Exhaustion Is Not This
A couple of days ago, I read about one of the world’s strangest contests: The 10th Annual “Space Out” Competition held in South Korea.
Contestants who enter the “arena” are required to “zone out” for 90 minutes. Essentially, they need to prove they are the best at doing…wait for it… absolutely nothing.
That includes no chatting, no ...
What a Google Review Revealed About My Worth
A few weeks ago, I’d taken my daughter out for lunch at a fancy-ish restaurant. After we polished off our Korean fried chicken and our delicious mango mocktails, I asked the server for our bill. I was all set to leave him a generous tip when he asked me to write a Google review for ...