Beyond Just Mom

Lately I’ve had chickens on the brain. 
Not long ago, I was feeling hen-pecked.  Do you know the feeling?  Like everything I said or did was being corrected, or controlled, or re-directed, or commented upon.  It drove me nuts.
Until I realized it bugged me most because it was a reflection of my own behavior.  Isn’t that [...]

Once in awhile, when I’m escaping the world and watching TV drama, I’m struck by little snippets like this clip from a recent Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice episode (if you’re reading this via email or feed reader, you need to click on the post title to see the video.  Go ahead.  We’ll wait for you.):

I won’t get [...]

I think people knew something about grace long before we had today’s words for it. 
Just down the Kona coast from our temporary Big Island home is Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, a National Park and preserved ancient Hawaiian village that includes The Place of Refuge.  It’s a haunting and beautiful sanctuary where ancient Hawaiian royalty–the kings and big [...]

Messages intended for my kids always seem to hit me right between the eyes.  This one came in a Bible story, but whether you’re Christian or not, I hope you’ll find the concepts universal.
In my eldest son’s confirmation class, a motley crew of early teens and parents discussed the woman at the well.  You may be [...]

Do any of you remember my fall post about cultivating gratitude? 

Yes?  No?  Me too. 
I admit, I put my 1000 gift list project aside these past several weeks. The little black book got buried in that basket of homeless living room stuff.  We were just so busy with Christmas,  back to school, that nasty shingles attack, and all [...]

This prayer posted on David Crumm’s Read the Spirit  moved me, and I had to share it with you on this historic day.  Rev. Woolley was an associate pastor at my church for several years, and I miss her beautiful, poignant prayers!
An Inaugural Prayer for President Obama–and Us
By the Rev. Marsha M. Woolley
    CREATING GOD [...]

On this snowy Sunday morning, I’m hiding out at home due to this adventure, enjoying the quiet.
On faith was the very first post I wrote for this site, but few of you were around to read it.  I thought I’d run it again.  Let me know what you think. 
Intrigued?  Some thoughtful women have started If Life [...]

Today I joined the throngs of people flocking to health clubs to get back in shape this week.  I shouldn’t have been surprised by the suddenly packed parking lot and the crowded fitness center at my YMCA:  in January alone, over one million Americans join health clubs each year.  And sadly, up to 75% of those quit [...]

Yesterday our pastor discussed the mysterious sliding rocks of Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, California.  Apparently these huge, heavy boulders move hundreds of feet without explanation.  The tracks show clear evidence of movement, but science can’t precisely explain how or why it happens.  Is it wind, ice, earth, animals, or some combination?  Theories abound, but the mystery [...]

I want to share with you all a book I’ve enjoyed immensely: 
The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew–Three Women Search for Understanding
by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner
In this true story, three mothers meet after September 11 to write a children’s book about the Abrahamic connections between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  [...]