EVERY MOMent COUNTS!
“This Christmas is going to be so hard, really hard. I’m already dreading it.” I vividly remember this heartache of a few years ago. It was to be our first Christmas without any kids. Our twin daughters had both married the summer before, and now that all five of our kids were married, it meant we [...]
Summer is forest fire season in Arizona, and right now the fires are raging in full force. They’re front-page copy in many newspapers and first lead reports on hourly newscasts as we watch the drama of evacuations, lost homes, and grueling firefighting. What used to be a bystander’s curiosity has now turned into a personal [...]
I watch with excitement as our crepe myrtle trees bloom among the azaleas and as the cherry blossoms flutter like snow in the wind. The trees, bushes, and flowers “dress up” in spring. The smell of spring flowers and mowed grass is inviting, and even washing down the yellow pollen dust on my driveway is [...]
There is a major transition in our lives as moms when our children leave home. In the video below, Barbara Rainey shares with us a few of the practical steps outlined in her book Barbara and Susan’s Guide to the Empty Nest: Discovering New Purpose, Passion, & Your Next Great Adventure. Barbara and Susan’s Guide [...]
My friend Julia and I met for coffee to catch up on each other’s lives. We’re both Empty Nesters. My five kids are all married, and I have nineteen grandchildren. Julia has two kids, one in college and one just out — adjusting to real life! As a single parent, Julia has raised her kids [...]
March 9, 2011, is a day I will never forget. I am one of millions of Facebook users, and my birthday is listed on my profile. I received hundreds of birthday wishes from my friends. My husband took the day off just to be with me all day. I felt like a school girl on [...]
Recently, there was a picture of me and my sweet granddaughter posted on Facebook. This picture really touched me, and I began to tear up. (I am really getting sentimental in my older age.) This is not my first grandchild; I have many grandchildren. But this particular picture was not posted by one of my many biological [...]
My mom and I live in different cities in Florida, but our hometown is near Buffalo, N.Y. Neither of us enjoy the cold weather anymore; however, a special family birthday celebration in January caused us to travel north during the peak of winter. During my first morning there, while sipping a cup of fresh hot [...]
Our growing, young family is spread across three states, which makes gathering on Christmas day impossible. We have freed our adult children of the pressure to celebrate Christmas as in the past. It was a wise decision, even though we miss watching our grandchildren and their parents enjoy the day. We have settled on the [...]
My husband John and I recently hosted our 3rd annual “Cousins’ Camp.” It was exhilarating, , enlightening and exhausting! This year we had 8 campers ages 4-12.They dubbed themselves “the exceptionally awesome eight!”
