See The Lite

By Michelle (Graceful, Faith in the Everyday)

I had expectations all right...they just didn't turn out as I expected.

When my pastor first suggested I give up social media for Lent, I balked. "I can't do that," I thought to myself, sitting across from him in the cafe. "It's too risky. There's too much at stake. I can't sacrifice everything I've worked so hard to gain."

I feared the loss. Loss of control, primarily. Fear that readership would plummet, that my itsy-bitsy platform would crumble. But also fear of a deeper loss -- loss of self.

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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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Death Up Close And Personal

By Michelle (Graceful, Faith in the Everyday)

Last year we experienced death up close and personal, in our own backyard.

Throughout the winter we had observed a large cocoon dangling like a leather satchel from the river birch tree. We weren’t confident it contained a hibernating creature – Rowan had prodded it too vigorously a couple of times, batting at it like it was a miniature tether ball, so we didn’t have high hopes for its metamorphosis. Nevertheless, one May evening Noah stormed into the house shouting, “The moth is here! The moth is here!” and we all dashed out to take a look.

Its body was furry and plump, like a tiny fruit bat, with a wingspan as wide as my hand. Two bushy antennae sprung from the moth’s head like centipedes, and on its intricately patterned wings shone bright yellow spots, unblinking owl eyes. It dangled a few inches from its cocoon, gingerly folding and unfolding its giant wings, hairy legs twitching a little as they clung to the branch. We all posed for photos with the moth like it was Julia Roberts suspended from the tree.

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What Is Marriage?

By Kevin (Shooting the Breeze)

Now that Grover has given his take on marriage, I will now share mine.:)  I must say up front that I am by no means an expert on marriage.  I have been married for almost 17 years now though and I have learned a few things along the way.  In this post, I would like to share some of those things with you.

Here are two things that I believe make up a healthy marriage:

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Act Your Age

By Sarah (Living Between the Lines)

When I turned 25 years old, I had a minor meltdown.  I sat on my friend Rick’s couch and just wailed about how I was “getting ready to be thirty!”  I just thought that my life was over!  Rick, bless his heart, had the patience of Job and though I’m sure he rolled his eyes, he listened and tried to sympathize.  

When I turned 29 years old, I really started to panic.  I saw 30 rolling in like a freight train and all I could focus on was what I felt I had missed in life.  For a few months, I caught myself really whining at God about it.  But my 30th birthday came and went and soon I noticed that 30 wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was.

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