Simply Thriving

It doesn't matter what the situation, I always have something to say. It’s my thing - a security blanket of sorts. Even when I force myself to hold my tongue, I have already formulated a thought or an opinion on the topic of the conversation that I'm in. When I'm in a new or uncomfortable situation, I talk double time – prattling on about things that don’t matter at all. When I fight with my husband, I'm quick on my feet with plenty of angles to talk from. When I'm excited, nervous or simply content I always have something to say about it. (It probably gets annoying to those around me.) Lately however, there is nothing. Something is stirring in my heart, but I can’t put a word to it. It’s terrifying. And it’s amazing. It’s so much easier to rely on myself than to let go and trust what God is doing. The thing about God is that He is in complete control (which scares me to bits); but, at the same time, He is completely good (which makes it so ...

Do you ever feel that, if you can just hold on tightly enough to life, you can protect yourself and your loved ones from harm? Or maybe, if you could go back to that perfect moment in time and capture it, you could stay there forever; you could keep the future from happening. I do. It’s not logical, I know. Yet, sometimes, I grow so frazzled (so anxious) when I think of all that has been and all that could still be that I slip into it. I look at Emily’s happy little dimples and marvel that she’s been with us for six whole years now without injury. I panic when Chloe sleeps in longer than usual or when I find her chewing on an apple that the kids have given her. I can’t even let myself consider all of the bizarre and dangerous things that my boys have done and continue to do every day! Sometimes, I sit thinking, “We haven’t had our fair share of tragedy yet! What is still coming for us? ”. And then one of the boys runs away at the zoo. And another miscarriage happens. ...

Rainy days: they boggle the mind. We go inside And hide We pine and find ourselves Wishing For the sun, the heat, the glow of a new tan The hum of the fan Playground sand And/But/Yet Without "them" The sunny days wouldn't be Green And yellow And lilac smelling The naps would be shorter and The pictures wouldn't have the same Depth The worms wouldn't be squirming and The kids wouldn't be praying For leaves And watermelon And bees. And so… I’ll pull on my socks And they’ll pull on their Splashy boots And together, We’ll smile and Giggle At these, the rainy Days. 

“Be strong. Stay strong.” “You can do this. You can handle anything.” “I'm strong. I know my limits.” “I can handle this. I can do anything I put my mind to.” “We are powerful. We can do anything. We are worth it.” Sometimes I feel like this is the anthem of our generation. It’s splashed across TV ads and Facebook pages. Some form of it is the creed of most health based or counselling companies. Everywhere I turn, someone or something is there to remind me, that I just need to stay strong, because I am strong…and don’t forget it! Do these statements cause you to feel motivated, inspired or uplifted? I don’t doubt that they are well intentioned, or that there is kindness behind them, but, to me, they are empty and I cannot take any hope from them. The thing is, I know myself, my foolish pride, the lust of my heart and my vast and crushing weakness. When I am at a breaking point, or am testing how close I can get to a certain temptation, what I want, what I de...

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” ~Theodore Roosevelt In our kitchen cupboards, we have a stack (two stacks, actually) of brightly patterned children’s cups. They are splashed with superheroes, Veggie Tales characters and images from the new Lego movie – plenty of choices.  And yet, at each mealtime, almost without fail, a crisis ensues. It doesn't matter that they chose a certain cup, once they see Star Wars in the hands of their brother….they MUST have it. They simply cannot be happy with Snoopy anymore! How like us they are. Oh sure, we've been groomed to not throw a fit when things don’t go our way. Our hearts; however, are another story. Whether it has to do with possessions, friendships, jobs, body types, spouses, other people’s kids or even personality types , the grass always seems to be a little bit (or a lot) greener in someone else’s yard.  Just like the kids happily holding that Snoopy cup in their hands, I have been blessed with a beautiful home that ...