Month: August 2015

  • Enjoy the Silence

    There are things we do not say because we feel we can’t. There are words which would unravel all we have built. The castles in our minds. The images we have portrayed.

    So we project these silent images into space. By the sheer power of our heartfelt emotion. Beaming untold things to unknown beings.

    All so we can continue. To enjoy the silence.

     


  • How Does the Rest of the World See You?

    It’s fascinating how little we know about ourselves. It’s even more fascinating how much we discover we already knew once we have an expert tell us who we really are.

    Sometimes we’re just looking for affirmation or permission to be who we’ve always dreamed of being, but never truly stepped into. (more…)


  • Leave It to Fate Or Press Into Destiny?

    When it comes to fulfilling your dreams and reaching your destiny, is it a matter of submitting to God/Fate or is it a matter of proactive decision making, perseverance, and determination? (more…)


  • Happy Birthday

    This is your day. But first, a confession. 

    I confess that I’ve wasted far too many years and too many birthdays trying to invent the perfect birthday present. I’ve let myself feel too much pressure to the point of spending this day wallowing in shame and disappointment rather than in celebrating you.

    I don’t know what’s changed exactly. But whatever the cause, this day of this year feels different.

    It’s not about gifts or the perfect love language. I am thinking only of you. I am picturing the four year old Heather, the eleven year old Heather, and the fifteen year old Heather. I am imagining you in every season – how you looked, what you felt, every tear you cried, and how you saw the world. Today I am observing your life through stories and imagination, and finding joy and sadness and intrigue along the way. 

    I know you don’t like to call attention to yourself. You don’t expect anyone to find you all that interesting. But you are. And I do. 

    Sometimes busyness and healing get in the way of just feeling human. And though I appreciate how hard you push forward to provide your children with a healthier and more vibrant future, you are still this curiously intriguing person who deserves a story all her own.

    You have been worth celebrating at every step… Every year you have faced this great unknown. I grieve that it didn’t always happen. 

    Today is different. Today you are my beautiful wife, in whom I take great pride. So we will flip through the photo albums and listen to Gigi tell grand tales of the little girl who burned down her kitchen and the girl who once hailed a taxi to take her grandmother to the emergency room, and the woman who gave birth in her home to three of the most amazing little humans ever to slobber on this earth. We will tell our stories and eat good food and thank God that you landed in our little corner of the world.

    Happy birthday, Heather. I am amazed that you are you.


  • Aspirational vs Confessional Blogging

    In a recent interview for ProBlogger, the original gangster of mommy blogging has announced her intention to cut the ball and chain. For Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com, blogging isn’t what it used to be.

    Now, a lot of mommy blogs are about documenting instead of storytelling. It’s a photo essay of their kid sitting on the countertop in perfectly clean clothes licking the cake spoon. It’s so curated. In beginning, it was all mess. People were craving honest stories about parenting. I think people are craving that again now, but bloggers are afraid to be that honest. Since blogging is so flush with money, the immediate thought is, is there going to be money in that? How do you monetize a mess?

    (more…)


  • What If God?

    What if God wasn’t so much an abstract idea to be considered, but a glorious, majestic, and fearsome person to behold? What if we weren’t meant to idly chatter about each other’s misgivings about the religion our ancestors fed us but instead crawled on hand and knee across the desert to find Him? (more…)


  • Is It the Government’s Job to Feed the Poor?

    This is such a loaded question, I just know that as soon as more than five people read this website, it’s going to stir some people up.

    Over the past week, I’ve seen two quote memes – one from former President Jimmy Carter, and one from Stephen Colbert – on the subject of Christian government and caring for the poor. Both essentially chided Christians who disapprove of government programs helping the poor.

    (more…)


  • Why The Organic vs Local Argument Is Pretty Silly

    If you tunnel deep into the underbelly of the Face Book, you may find yourself inside a group of “real foodies” debating the issue of local vs organic. I’m not sure why, but someone decided this is an important debate.

    And since the vast majority of my co-groupers are more pro-local than pro-organic, it’s time to address the silliness that is this argument.  (more…)