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Keep It Simple: One Tip for Marital Intimacy
Last week, I asked my Instagram followers: What marital challenges are you facing? Of those who responded, ninety percent named marital intimacy. They admitted exhaustion and an inability to find time for their husbands. Most expressed a desire to improve in the area of intimacy with their husbands, but it felt impossible. When little children need you constantly, it’s difficult…
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First Things First
As a young teenager, I made a rather extensive list of all the qualities I was looking for in a husband. I combined traits from many of the men I respected—plus a few extras—just to be sure I found the man who would fulfill all my hopes and dreams. When I graduated from college without a ring on my finger,…
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Quote It
My husband brought several pieces of furniture into our marriage: six woven dining chairs, two barstools, and a wooden bookshelf. Although several chairs are now wobbly from fifteen years of use, we cannot bring ourselves to part with them. I’m okay with this because they’re functional, and new dining room chairs are expensive. However, the bookshelf is another story. I…
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Embrace Diligence
A few months ago, I took the plunge and subscribed to a monthly box of new clothes. You may have heard of Stitch Fix. Well, it’s both wonderful to have clothes delivered to my door, but it’s also a bit more expensive than my typical wardrobe purchases. But I figured if I’m about to turn 40, I should invest in…
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A Diligent Wife // New 31 Days Series
I was listening to an interview recently with TV and film producer, J.J. Abrams, in which he was telling the story of how his career started. He floundered in the beginning, unsure which direction to go, or what content to create. His wife offered him some solid advice: Write about what you love. Write what you care about. So, he…
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When God Gives Apples
In the corner of the yard, beside the white picket fence, and about fifteen feet from where the street sweeper comes once a month to clean out the debris on the edge of the road, we planted an apple tree. She’s a beauty, quietly blessing us with sweet flowers in spring, spreading a blanket of shade over the lacecap hydrangea…
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What We Celebrate on World Down Syndrome Day
Down syndrome impacts me everyday. It affects my decisions, my chores, my schedule, even my life insurance policy—you should see the bill that just arrived. But our son’s disability has become such a normal part of life that I don’t think about it everyday. He’s just my son, a delightful addition to our family, and one of the greatest kids…
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This Is How He Carries You
It’s too much, Lord. I can’t count the number of times I’ve uttered some form of these words. Sometimes I whisper through my tears and other times I scribble furiously onto the pages of my journal—early morning thoughts after news of another hardship. Another friend’s suffering. My own difficult circumstances. A world in physical, emotional, and spiritual upheaval. I imagine…
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There Are Indeed Good Things
I am not what you would call a person who lives in a perpetual state of optimism. I am in fact a realist. Not a downer, for those of you optimists who don’t know the difference. I’ve experienced enough life to know that life isn’t necessarily smooth and easy. Quite the opposite, actually. Jesus confirmed this one, so you can…
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Will We Die to Our Rights?
There was only one place in town to buy pork, and I was hungry for bacon. So I snuck into the little shop, paid the shop owner for the largest slab I could find, and then tucked it deep within my purse. As I made my way down the street, I kept glancing behind me. Did anyone notice where I…
