The Jury

By Michelle (Graceful, Faith in the Everyday)

I sighed heavy and groaned as I slid the folded paper from the envelope and read the opening lines:

“Michelle DeRusha, you are hereby summoned and notified that you have been selected to serve as a juror during the two-week jury term beginning May 10. You are required to appear in Lancaster County District Court as instructed below.”

Jury duty.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always viewed jury duty as a giant pain in the neck. One simple letter and my well-oiled life turns upside-down. Now suddenly there were arrangements to make with my employer, childcare to schedule, transportation to and from school to arrange – to say nothing of the hours and hours of sitting in a stale, airless courthouse waiting room.

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Eating Out

By Michelle (Graceful, Faith in the Everyday)

We ate outside on the back patio last week. I didn't want to, but the kids love to eat outdoors when the weather gets warm. They beg and plead, and when I say no, they react like I’ve just announced that they'll never again eat ice cream for the rest of their lives.

I wanted to say no to supper on the patio. But I said yes instead.

Before you go thinking I'm the most boring, curmudgeonly mother in the world (which, frankly, I am), and wonder why in the world I wouldn't just have supper outside for crying out loud, let me explain.

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Jellybeans With Purpose

By MAD21

He is risen!

We pray that everyone had a wonderful Easter! Our family had an amazing weekend celebrating one of our favorite holidays. We love the opportunity to come together as a community and remember what Christ sacrificed for us, and celebrate him defying all human understanding by rising from the darkness of death.

Our girls are old enough that they are now seeking to understand what this holiday means (as much as they can at six and almost four). They are beginning to realize that this day is about more than Easter dresses, egg hunts, and baskets full of goodies. We can still have fun with all of that, but now they are assigning meaning to things.

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Being Wise With What's Given To You

By MAD21

"One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty." (Proverbs 11:24)

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)

We are told not only to give and give cheerfully, but we are also told to plan it out.

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Give Them Wings

By MAD21

As a parent there are many times that you will marvel at the relationship you have with your children. When they are first born you look at them and are amazed that something so fragile and real came from your body. And then reality sets in and you realize you have no idea how to be a good parent (especially on the bad days). As they get older and you watch them learn and grow into little self-sufficient people, what a miracle it was that another life was created through you... and how fast time flies.

Suddenly, all the priorities in our lives change. Something as insignificant as keeping your house clean all the time is not so important. And for some, something as significant as giving up a career is freely sacrificed. Have you ever wondered why this bond that a parent feels with their child is so strong. So.. different from any other relationship we've ever had? Personally, I think it's because to feel the love of your child is as close as we could possibly get to being in the presence of God while on this side of heaven. It was one of His gifts to us, to know this kind of love.

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