Posts Tagged ‘motherhood unseen’
Am I Doing This Right? Crosses, Questions, and Awe in Creation
“What’s that?” my 5-year-old asks, pointing to a ceramic cross above the bedroom door at my parents’ house as I lie down next to him to help him fall asleep. “It’s a cross,” I reply matter-of-factly, with a pang of guilt that I apparently haven’t done a good enough job at catechizing my child for…
Read MoreA Prayer for the Mess of Motherhood
Creator God, Who gave life to dear ones, Who knows the deep pride and frustration that commingle in the heart of a parent, Who breathed life into dust, Who feels the sting of disappointment in your children. Pour out grace on my family. Grant me perspective to see the world from two feet high, From…
Read MoreToo Big to Be Told: Parenting Young Adults
Even when they were small, I was nervous that time would march relentlessly on and I would find myself where I am today: my kids ready to fly the coop and me, unready. This April, a tall, sincere, young man asked for my daughter’s hand. My social media went frenzied, and everyone asked how I…
Read MoreStill, Slow, Stoke, Save My Anger
Still my anger, Lord over milk spilled toothpaste wasted urine everywhere but the toilet Slow my anger, Lord when I am constantly interrupted my plans are thwarted my children misbehave and I feel embarrassed when I go without sleep without food without a moment of quiet Stoke my anger, Lord when children go without food,…
Read MoreFor When You Relive a Traumatic Birth
Author’s Note: My first son was born almost fifteen years ago after a two-day, induced labor because I had severe preeclampsia. I was in and out of the hospital over the course of a month, finally spending a week in the high-risk section of the labor and delivery wing before they induced me. My second…
Read MoreA Prayer for the Mothers Who Have Lost a Child
Abba Father, Our eyes are filled with tears, our bodies are weary, our hearts are angry, and we’re just so sad. We can’t seem to put together the incomplete pieces of a life that is so broken without our children. Lord, help us to remember that You hear our cries, You see our tears, You…
Read MoreA Prayer for a Mother’s Anger
Abba, It is so easy to give in to the tension creeping up my neck, the tightness in my throat, and the hurt I’ve burrowed down deep. But what is not right is to unleash this hurt, these emotions I need to rightfully process with YOU, on my tiny humans. You don’t give me more…
Read MoreConfessions of an Angry Mom
A little hand reaches up to the counter, and papers flutter to the floor. While I restack them, a chair is pushed over. Maybe even a plant. Something in me starts to tighten and grow, a tense little ball of fire. Words spill out, but they are useless; they clink to the floor. My preschooler…
Read MoreA Prayer for Autism
Creator God, Lover of diversity of all kinds, all made perfectly in your image. Remind me daily how perfectly we were made imperfectly. Help me. Help me ride the tides of my son’s moods. Help me savor the moments when his autism allows him to be as calm as the smallest waves, gently lapping over…
Read MoreOur Lady of the Living Room Floor
By the low light of the baby monitor, she removes her makeup and recalls the shining successes of her friends as they gathered around the table that night: their new jobs and promotions, the annual review meetings, the conference next week in California. At the far end of the table, she’d sat silently recalling her…
Read MoreSupporting Yourself (Or A Friend) Through Miscarriage
Miscarriage may be the most tragic or traumatic loss you have faced thus far. You might feel resentful or depressed; you may be struggling with your faith or in your marriage. You likely do not want to hear anyone else’s opinion on your situation or your grief. But you still have to interact with others…
Read MoreThe Privilege of Friendship
Gathered around the familiar multi-purpose, formica folding tables, I was the youngest of the group by at least ten years. Thursday Bible study had become a treasured time because of the insight, wisdom, and humor that these wiser women shared with me. One day, as a new session began, some younger women invited me to…
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