I was doing some work on my laptop recently, and an ad for a clothing company popped up: “Hey, shopped 30% off yet? Our generosity won’t last forever. “ Seeing that ad, my work came to a screeching halt. Not because I wanted to run to catch that sale, but because
Imagine: You’ve had a long day. You’re exhausted– mentally, physically, and emotionally. You pass by a convenience store on your way home. You go in, and buy yourself something sweet for after dinner. It’s not much, but it feels like a little pick-me-up after a tiring day. We’ve all probably
Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird don’t sing,Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring turns to brass,Mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass. If that looking glass gets broke,Mama’s gonna buy you a billy-goat. If that billy-goat
My family experienced a laundry emergency last month. When we moved into our current home back in October, we bought a new washer and dryer to replace the appliances that had been there since the house had existed (around 20 years ago). The dryer wasn’t drying so well anymore, so
Every year as a child and teen, my extended family got together on Christmas Day. We would eat, laugh, play games, open presents, and spend time together as a family on the holiday. Plans and preparations for this event started months in advance, with each family unit contributing food, drinks,
A few months ago, I was playing with my son Theo. Only a few months old at the time, one of his favorite things to do was staring at himself in a mirror (a typical past-time for infants who are a few months old). This particular playtime, Theo was propped
When I was in seminary (graduate school for people called by God to public ministry), I broke my foot. If you’ve ever broken a bone, you know painful it can be. But even more than that, you know how inconvenient it can be. Simple actions that you could do with
Last month, our lives changed with one phone call. After a long and involved process, my husband Will and I found out from our assigned social worker at the adoption agency that we were picked by the birth mother to adopt a baby boy! He had just been born two
Consumer culture is incredibly prevalent in the U.S., so much so that we often assume automatically that more is better. We are encouraged to spend our time, energy, and financial resources on accumulating more and more material possessions, while also continuously being dissatisfied so that we keep buying and consuming
In August, my husband Will and I went on a cruise with my parents. These family trips used to be a tradition (happening about every other year), but because of personal schedules and the pandemic, we hadn’t been on a trip together in five years. On our last trip five