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Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

in Advent· Parenting· Teens· Thanksgiving

This past Thanksgiving, I placed my china plates on our dinner table, just as I’ve done since 1995. They come…
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Boundaries: The Friend of Every Parent

Boundaries: The Friend of Every Parent

in Back Roads to Belonging· Belonging· Faith in Action· Family· Grace· Home· Parenting· Teens

During my son’s senior year of high school, he and a few of his friends had a rather telling conversation…
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The Gift of Seasonal Bookends During Change

The Gift of Seasonal Bookends During Change

in Belonging· Books· Friendship· Parenting· Teens

A couple months ago, I made my way north to Ft. Collins, CO, home of Colorado State University. My twin…
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A Prayer for the Mama of the Graduate

A Prayer for the Mama of the Graduate

in Being a Woman· Family· Growing Up· Parenting· Teens· Uncategorized

Here it is, mid-May, and I’m going back and forth between reading news on Meghan and Harry’s baby boy and…
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For the Mama of the Graduate

For the Mama of the Graduate

in Courage· Faith in Action· Family· Parenting· Teens

I stand over the kitchen sink, eyeing several familiar Eskimo Joe’s cups in its open mouth. My son James, the…
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A Peek into Our Kids’ Futures

A Peek into Our Kids’ Futures

in Change· Faith in Action· Family· Parenting· Teens

As the sun slides behind the front range mountains of our Colorado town, my family of five slides into our…
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On Instagram

$1.99 ebook deal-extraordinaire!🎉💃🏻🎉 R $1.99 ebook deal-extraordinaire!🎉💃🏻🎉 Right now, get the digital version of Back Roads to Belonging for $1.99! ⁠⁠
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This book can be a gift for anyone feeling lost or lonely no matter her life season, but I believe it's an especially timely gift to yourself or a loved one who may be missing her place and people during the lingering pandemic. ⁠⁠
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Tap the link in my profile for links to both Kindle & Nook.☑️☑️⁠⁠
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And if you read this book and found it personally helpful, perhaps consider sharing it 'round your circles, too? ⁠⁠
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#backroadstobelonging⁠⁠
photo credit: @jenlintsphotography
An accomplishment for this week: Taking daily walk An accomplishment for this week: Taking daily walks outside, because outside is where the pretty lives even if it's also where the cold lives, too. ⁠⁠
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Another accomplishment this week included introducing my daughter to an '80's staple of pop culture: Dirty Dancing.💃🏻🕺🏻 My inner 8th grader still knows all the songs, and my daughter was able to understand the origins of "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." and that it *doesn't* refer to an actual baby. What can I say? I've found one homeschooling subject I feel qualified to teach. ⁠⁠✅
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Happy Friday, dear hearts!⁠⁠💛
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Trusting God with the ones you love ~ I found this Trusting God with the ones you love ~ I found this easier to do when the ones I love lived in my house full time. It turns out that having them move out from under my roof is a real lesson in seeing the holes of my trust.⁠⁠⁠
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You might say learning this has been A WHOLE THING. ⁠⁠⁠
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I first saw this book on @annvoskamp's instagram feed, and since Ann never steers me wrong, I promptly bought it and am now halfway through it. ⁠I skip some chapters as they don't (yet if ever) apply, but those that *do* apply have been a real help and comfort. ⁠⁠⁠
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In short, author @jodie_berndt's prayer prompts and stories reflecting an array of circumstances and outcomes has been a real gift to my mama heart. ⁠⁠⁠
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⁠Being a parent is hard no matter the age of our kids, but I'm so thankful for books like this that ease our trials and deepen our trust along the way.⁠⁠⁠
#fromthebookstack
This verse came alongside me like a friend not onc This verse came alongside me like a friend not once but twice in two days:⁠⁠
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"The angel of the Lord encamps⁠⁠
 around those who fear him, and delivers them.” ~Psalm 34:7⁠⁠
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I don’t know what hardship you're encountering today, but I hope you also encounter this message:⁠⁠
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As God surrounds you, may He deliver you *to* a better place, yes. But may He deliver you *from* anxiety, loneliness, fears, and wrongdoing.⁠⁠
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And along the way, may He give you a friend who prays for you and walks with you from where you are to where you will be. ⁠⁠
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#whereIbelongWednesday⁠⁠
#backroadstobelonging
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