Relationships are complicated. The more I read, the more I find out just how amazing the connection between people can be. Did you know that if you watch a loved one eat, for example, or see him look sad, the eating or sad parts of your brain are activated? Did you know that if you […]
Simple Joys
Noticing Miracles
Life is full of miracles, but we so seldom see them. Especially when daily details discourage us, dragging our eyes downward, or pain stuns us, blinding us to blessings. Yes, it is so easy to focus on everything but the good gifts God gives us, on the irritating, the mundane, the horrifying, or even the […]
Just a Glass of Water, and a Smile
Recently, during an exceedingly difficult afternoon, a stranger kindly asked me if I needed anything. A glass of water, perhaps? I hadn’t realized I was thirsty, but he had. He saw the need for water—and the need for encouragement—and provided both. Just a simple glass of water. Just an encouraging, compassionate smile. But it added […]
Recommendation: The BBC Historical Farm Series
Now that the weather is getting colder and there’s an end in sight to tomatoes and cabbages decorating our house, my thoughts turn to the hands-on history of the BBC series, Edwardian Farm, Victorian Farm, and Wartime Farm. We watched them several years ago, and since then the girls have been re-watching them through illnesses, concussions, […]
Nurturing a Love of Learning
People sometimes ask, “How do you instill a love of learning in your child?” I think that’s the wrong question. Children are naturally curious and eager to learn, and God has instilled this in them; we don’t need to. Instead, the question should be, “How do we nurture this love of learning?” And, if for some […]