I looked up at night sky and saw the stars dancing among the trees. I blinked once, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me, but the view was the same. “Look!” I said to my husband. “The stars, they’re moving.” “Yep. Those are winter fireflies,” he said. Even in the darkness, I could see his smirk. Immediately, I realized what these dancing stars were. The laser Christmas light display from the front yard was projecting over the house, into the trees and sky. Its beam added an other Continue Reading
Why Wisdom Won’t Come from Being Right
I turned around and saw him standing there, fresh cut flowers in hand and a smile on his face. “I’m sorry. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” I embedded my face in his chest and wrapped my arms around him. An apology and flowers weren’t what I was expecting, but I was grateful for both. I breathed in the soft, earthy scent of the lilies and took them inside. He wasn’t sleeping well, and I knew the early wake up call from our son didn’t help. We’d exchanged some harsh words and Continue Reading
The Damage We Do When We Withhold Grace
They turn on each other in a New York minute. One second they’re playing nicely together, sharing toys, and laughing. The next I hear screams of “Mama!” as my six-year-old chases his younger sibling through the room. Part of me wants to just close the door and lock them in there. But I figure I should at least see if both kids are still alive. After I kneel down on the floor and get the scoop on what happened, I tell both boys to apologize. I am struck by how quickly they forgive each Continue Reading