The Mothership

Holidays can often leave a painful mark or reminder for those who had absent, hurtful, tumultuous relationships with loved ones that are either still lingering or were left undone without closure or mended hearts. Mother’s Day is a day when most are celebrated but there are some that are hurting. If this is you, maybe you have... feelings of abandonment... feelings of resentment... feelings of wanting... feelings of complacency... feelings of blah... feelings of loss... feelings of fear... feelings of anxiety... feelings of the not yet... Lots of feelings. I want to say to you... You are seen. You are loved. You are cherished. Jesus sees you and loves you more than any mother could love. In church one morning, I noticed people...some joyful, some sad, some hurt, some happy, some mundane and unnoticed. God hits me with, “These are my kids and they need to be mothered too.” Whether you have/had a great relationship with your mom or not, there are lots of people that need moth...

Comparison is the thief of joy - Theodore Roosevelt I feel as if I live a fairly joyous life. Yeah. I would say I am generally happy. I have beautiful kids, my husband and I have fun together and walk in relationship with Jesus...and many other blessings. I am a fairly positive person moving through life...and yet the enemy can still attack...not often, but he does it just enough.  And it is usually when I have realized a different piece in my calling.   He attacks me in my identity and tries to plant lies. He tries to strangle those seeds that God has planted and that are growing and squish the life from them.  The way he does this to me is mostly through comparison. He whispers: they are more fun than you they are nicer than you they are a better mom than you you are not looking like a Christian that person doesn't like you because you're not ... they are better at everything than you you are not enough And on and on it goes until I put a stop to it beca...

I am not a big savory person in the morning, but I am coming around to it.  Since being in the whole "I guess I'll eat healthy today" mindset, I've needed to branch out and eat something else besides my favorite cereals :((( This recipe is adapted from a few different recipes. I made this quiche for a friend.  They seemed to enjoy it, and I've made it a few times before.  It packs in the flavor and the protein and makes dinner or breakfast super easy! Plus, it has goetta! When I make it for us, I usually omit the crust and just spray the pan really well.  Or there are plenty of healthier options for crusts now.  I found a gluten free, sugar free, soy free, egg free crust the other day...I didn't buy it, but it was an option:) So, make your own, buy the refrigerated ones in a box that you roll out, or buy the ones already in the pan, or just omit it.  Any way you buy it, make sure it is NOT baked yet. Also, use whatever veggies you prefer, but cooking/s...

I don't know about you, but I find myself saying "NO"...a lot to my children. Why, in heaven's name, is this my first reaction? Control.  I think I've talked about this before.  For whatever reason I revert to needing to control my child.  I control out of fear.  Fear of them misbehaving, fear of them being hurt, fear of them hurting someone, fear of being singled out, fear, fear fear.  And I'm pretty sure my God does not operate out of fear.  So then, why should I?  I find myself repeating and negotiating over and over.  I do this so much that it seems the word "NO" has lost its meaning.  Others say it, and it means so much more.  I want my children to respond when I say no, whether it is because I am not feeling what is happening or for safety concerns.  Whatever the reason I want them to respond appropriately So how does that happen? A few months ago I said I was going to focus more on giving the children responsib...

I am so blessed to be walking alongside so many Christian friends for so long and have grown close to even more.  I was blessed to have a great high school youth group.  Not only did I see these friends on Sundays, but we did life together and these were my friends I chose to see in my free time.  We went on mission trips together, did many outreaches, and we did the messy high school friendship stuff...and you know what?  Amazingly...we are still close, years and years later.  Our youth group laid a foundation for us. Life happens and we don't see each other as much as we'd like.  But we try to make it a priority.  And even though we may not all attend the same church, we connect.  We text -thank GOD for texting - from time to time, somehow picking up the conversation in the same place we did a month ago...with quick updates.  Speed texting has become a sport.  KEEP UP!  One of the key things we keep up on is our spirituality...

So, moms...I have such a deep appreciation for moms now.  If I had only realized how much of Jesus my mother tried to instill in me at the time, maybe I would have been more appreciative in my younger years.  A friend of mine leads a women's prayer group once a month.  It has provided me with a chance to meet Jesus in a quiet intimate time, in the middle of the day, with minimal distractions - which for a lot of moms can be hard.  This week we were reading over the verse, John 20:19-23. 1 9  That Sunday evening [ a ] the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20  As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21  Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22  Then he breathed on them and said, “Receiv...

Friends are so important to me.  They provide me with the ability to see things clearly.  They love and support me, yada, yada, yada.  I could continue but I think everyone, in a different season of their life, has different aspects that are important to them in a friendship. I know the characteristics I valued as a teenager are most definitely NOT the same as they are now.  I have learned through a lot of friendships, or what I thought were friendships, hard truths of what I value in a friend.  But isn't that one of the points of high school...learning who you are and what you value?  I feel like I've only REALLY been able to reflect on this recently.  I wish I could go back in time and save myself a lot of emotional torment and grief.  However, I think all the emotional hurt was vital to my growth and understanding what I wanted in a friend. In this season of my life, I just don't have a lot of time.  My time is separated and do...