It’s funny when we get something we want it often doesn’t feel like we thought it would. I related my situation to a friend who told me, “Well, it seems like the Lord is inviting you to slow down and depend on others!”

I want both of those things! I want to be present to my children and live a slower life. I want to be able to ask for help, and thus invite others to ask it of me as well, forming true community. But ouch, I apparently want these things on my own terms.

Going on walks with children can either be the best thing, or just a good way to elicit a sympathetic nervous system response. And I have found there is quite the difference depending on the time of year. In the late summer all involved are accustomed to the routine…On the other hand, a walk during an unusually warm spell in the dead of winter doesn’t generally go quite so smoothly.

It all began when we had the genius idea to get our house ready to post as an Air bnb by the time Christmas came….

I was skeptical this was possible at all, based on how disheveled things seemed in our house. We had moved in August, and wow. It takes a while to get settled.

Last night, while taking turns holding a feverish 2 year old, Brian made the executive decision— let’s watch Joyeaux Noel. It’s one of our favorites, a 2005 film depicting the Christmas cease fire that occurred during World War I. As we sat in the dark, a rosy cheeked bundle sleeping on Brian’s chest, I again was struck by the beauty of human life, seeing the humanity and suffering of main characters from each side of the war. The film awoke in me a deep yearning for peace, understanding, goodwill among men.

This morning an unexpected time slot opened up. You may know the feeling if you’re a young mother or if you’re just in a particularly scheduled or busy season of life. All of the sudden there is a completely free hour. THIS NEVER HAPPENS. The freedom! The possibilities!

“Please pray for us— we’re potty training”

During a meeting with a young family who was supporting me as a missionary, I had asked them if they had any specific intentions for me to keep in prayer. A couple of giggling children ran past us, under and around their kitchen table as she thought for a moment and then said, actually, yes, and stated the above intention with a stone face.

The heart of life. What is it? At times this seems like a vague concept until there is a prompting— often, of beauty piercing through and resonating with something deep within. To me, it feels like a, ‘YES!’ I want that! I love that! This is what life is about!

We moved in August, and for several months, our dining room held just an open space, where dreams of a lovely buffet would settle.