We all want to live our imperfect lives with purpose, don't we? It sounds so good. So meaningful. So intentional. There’s one thing I want to make clear, though. When I say live with purpose, I don’t want anyone to hear: Try harder. Do more. Be … [Read more...] about You Are Enough
Purposing
How to Find Moments of Rest
I know more about sleep than about rest. How much a person ought to sleep, based on age and health and last growth spurt. How to use a muslin blanket to help a baby sleep. What shade of blackout curtains are needed for napping during … [Read more...] about How to Find Moments of Rest
Why I Gave Up on Predictability
Some evenings you find yourself, long past bedtime, standing with a toddler in your arms. The teething is fierce with this one, and you hold her against your shoulder and sway while she chews at the shoulder of your shirt. You are near the bed, … [Read more...] about Why I Gave Up on Predictability
Your Story Doesn’t Have to Be Tidy
You're living your story right now, and I think it's a story about something true. I think it's a good story. That doesn’t mean you have to know exactly where you’re going, or how exactly you’re going to get there. You don’t have to … [Read more...] about Your Story Doesn’t Have to Be Tidy
What Truth Are You Living?
What’s your story? More importantly, what’s your story about? You’re living the story of your life right now, and good stories are about something. They’re about hope, or healing, or redemption, or connection. They’re about things made … [Read more...] about What Truth Are You Living?
Where Small Beginnings Lead
Ev is the smallest person in our household, by a lot. When she was one year old, she was not even half the size of Eli, who is just a couple years older and next in the sibling line. Back then, she could not reach the fruit bowl or the … [Read more...] about Where Small Beginnings Lead
The Question Behind Every Choice You Make
Sometimes the waters around you are smooth, and the sun is shining on your face, and the birds are singing their sweet-not-annoying birdsong. Maybe you are dreaming, I don't know. Those are the times when it’s easy to choose -- on purpose -- to … [Read more...] about The Question Behind Every Choice You Make
How I Learned to Be Okay With My Limitations
One thing you should know about me: I can’t estimate distances. At all. Not mileage, not centimeters, height, depth, nothing. I used to think this was a necessary life skill, so I would pretend. “It’s probably ten miles away.” “It’s maybe three … [Read more...] about How I Learned to Be Okay With My Limitations
How I Changed the Way I Think About Minutes
Bedtime is the best time for philosophical ruminations. Something about flipping the light switch makes children suddenly remember all the things that never happened. They say, I didn’t have time to build a megaphone out of duct tape and … [Read more...] about How I Changed the Way I Think About Minutes
Say Yes AND Say No
You don’t have to do it all. If you’re going to live from a place of yes, some things need a no. When my daughter Audrey was eight, she had her life plan mapped out. She didn’t yet have a full-time career, obviously, but her intentions were … [Read more...] about Say Yes AND Say No
One Thing That’s Better Than Being Consistent
Consistency. Apparently it’s the key to good parenting. (I've read that confidence is the other key. If you believe you’re a good parent, your kids are more likely to believe it, too. Of course, Mary Poppins says what's most important is being … [Read more...] about One Thing That’s Better Than Being Consistent
Why We (Sometimes) Hide Our Real Selves
My girl Sadie has been an octopus all week. She just has two plain old human legs, so to be an octopus she had to invent six more out of play silks. It’s a hardship, but what can you do. (Her tentacles are entirely imaginary.) Eli made … [Read more...] about Why We (Sometimes) Hide Our Real Selves
