![]() When my boys were little, our days were filled with constant activity. At one point, I had three boys at ages three and under, and life was a whirlwind of running, jumping and climbing. I had friends who had just girls, and I used to laugh when they told me that they had “stayed in” the day to color or watch “The Sound of Music.” What!? With three boys there was no such thing as a “stay in” day. Not if Mama wanted to keep her sanity! I figured that if we could arrange an event each day, that would cover my boys’ need to exercise, verbalize, socialize and … get all that energy out! So, between playgroups, zoo outings, and trips to the park and library, I kept my boys fairly busy. I remember once, while at the library, someone commented because I was out so soon after I had had a new baby. My friend Laura just laughed at that and said, “Oh, Debbie’s always out with her boys.” Today, I tell people that having your boys first is a great blessing, because, well, you’ve got more energy when you’re a younger parent! Click here to read more ... ![]() It was a rainy afternoon, and the lunch plans that my friend Terri and I made were a bit spoiled by the weather. We were going to eat at an outside fast-food restaurant that had killer french fries. But because of the rain, we settled for Taco Bell instead. I was single back then, recovering from a heart-wrenching break up. It was friends like Terri that helped me through that tough time. We were just digging into our burritos when I looked up to see my old boyfriend in line. Yikes! How could he show up there at the same place at the same time as me? I had no place to hide. We were quickly spotted, and he came over to eat with us. Was it coincidence that we ended up eating lunch at the same restaurant or was it a “God wink”? I’m thinking the latter because that man later became my husband. God winks are often explained away as being coincidences. But, when we really look at a situation, we find that the chances of everything lining up so perfectly can be far from coincidental. It’s the hand of God. Click here to read more ... ![]() My big dog Sandy is the most perfect pet in the world. She’s great with my kids, she rarely barks, and she knows just the right place in our back field to do her “business” (most of the time). Other than a good “back side” scratch every now and then, Sandy really requires very little on my part. And when you’ve got five children vying for your attention, a low maintenance dog can be a blessing from heaven. Recently, we’ve noticed something about Sandy, however, that’s a bit out of character for her. You see, when my husband gets down on his knees to play with our youngest daughter, Sandy will often set her furry self between the two of them. It seems that she’s trying to redirect the attention and fun back to herself. I think that our perfect dog is a bit jealous. I understand the feeling of jealousy … I’m sure most of you do. It creeps up on us when we least expect it, and – Wham! – there it is making us say and do things that often we’re ashamed of later. Click here to read more ... ![]() If I asked if you were pregnant – I’d be going out on a limb wouldn’t I? But before I feel the need to duck, let me explain myself. Because you see, I’m talking about an entirely different kind of pregnancy. In church a few Sunday’s back, we had a visiting pastor from Hermitage, Pa. who had a sermon that pretty much blew me away. You see, he spoke of being impregnated with God-given dreams. He said that God sometimes plants dreams in us that go through different stages and, when the timing is right, they swell within us waiting to be birthed. When the pastor’s sermon was over, I turned to my husband and asked him the same question I’m asking you… “Are you pregnant?” Click here to read more ... |
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