L turns five this year. She’s been counting down to that special day since–oh, the day after she turned four. We’ve had many, many one-sided conversations about her fifth birthday. She’s monologued about zoo birthday parties (they have a birthday room, and we inevitably pass it every time we visit, which is fairly often), indoor…
Today I’m over at my friend Stacey’s blog, Chronically Whole. Stacey writes about surviving and thriving with chronic illness. As well, she gracefully tutors those of us who love other people with chronic illnesses in loving them better. I’m sharing a little bit on caring for others in practical ways. Join me? It’s commonplace to…
My husband’s father came to the U.S. from the Netherlands when he was four. His parents settled in West Michigan, long known for its heavy population of Dutch immigrants and their descendants. When I moved to Grand Rapids, I noticed every name seemed to begin with “Van Der” or end with “-ema.” When E and…
Like most families, we have traditions. Holiday rituals. Seasonal activities. Anniversaries we celebrate. Annual birthday meals (April, for example, finds us drooling over my husband’s perennial choice of birthday cake–dark chocolate with peanut butter frosting). These sporadic events are special in our home, and we cherish them. But as my oldest has grown from infant…
I turned 39 last week. I spent a few days at the end of our vacation with my dad, and at some point, he asked me how I felt about being one year away from 40. I took a moment and thought about it, as honestly as I could on the fly like that, and…
L and I arrived home from Michigan a little over a week ago, and although it’s remained silent here on the blog, I promise you, you have not been far from the front of my mind. It’s just – there’s so much I want to tell you, I’ve felt sort of paralyzed. Where to begin?…