Coffee CubBuster

I've taken more "trips" the past few months than ever before in my life. Silas always packs each of us a little bag filled with toys and goodies for the train or plane we are about to board. He, of course, is not only a passenger on these journeys, but also the conductor, pilot, and tour guide. Even though we haven't actually traveled outside our general zip code the last 365 days, our invisible trips become more and more enjoyable as Silas' imagination sparks my own. I wonder at what age we begin to lose sight of the invisible. For me it probably happened around age ten when my parents divorce occurred shortly after mythical holiday spirits became fictitious. While both events seemed equally dramatic at the time, it is a wonder that anyone is able to believe in anything that cannot be visually, audibly, or tactically comprehended. I am just now beginning to realize how much of our world is invisible. At least the things that really matter. Not only is love seemi...

 In this marathon, and more specifically the last couple of weeks, things have been pretty rough. But like any long, long run, God gives us those sweet moments to keep us going just when we think we need to stop. Whether it's your toddler learning to make his own "funny camera faces," just when you need to laugh, the beginning curiosity and learning of your little one who showed little interest prior, one night of decent sleep among a hundred sleepless nights, a great date with your spouse after a long week, or some "breakfast" in bed made by your kiddos, we are provided what we need exactly when we need it most, and no sooner. Not only has Levi begun to throw up with the volume and intensity of several months earlier (making me feel as though I'm living a terrible version of Groundhog's Day the movie), he's also not sleeping great, day or night, because of his leg braces, and his feeding bag in bed with him at night. For that rea...

These early formative years that I get my boys all to myself are minimal at best because they will soon crave the attention, approval, and activities of their daddy. As much as sons love their mamas, the lengthy time just being together will soon become boring. Let's face it: I just can't swing a club, like my husband. Even though I don't have any girls yet, being one myself, I'm beginning to see a vast difference in our innate desires. As much as I love a clean and organized house, it's imperative that I let my boys be boys. They need to get dirty, make a mess, scream, and act like little wild animals from time to time. It's easy for me to try and shape them in such a way that makes my life  (and chores) easier, but that's not shaping them the way God made them. I've been struck recently... both metaphorically and literally. My eldest child tends to expound all of his built up energy or excitement in the form of physical abuse. Don't get me wr...

The loving Hallmark holiday is upon us, and I know that love is certainly one of my whole reasons for existence, but I also know that every single person, including myself, has been hurt by love more than once. Because love binds us on a deeper level, it hurts that much more when it feels like it's taken from us, whether momentarily, permanently, or just unexpectedly; hence, those persons who seem to withhold their love from so many due to feared potential consequences. The love for a parent, a child, a spouse, a grandparent, a sibling, a friend- all can be equally as painful when extracted from our daily lives. Yet, can love really be taken? No. I do not believe so, and I think that's why it hurts so much. Just because the person separates, moves, stops speaking, stops showing up, gets Alzheimer's, changes lifestyles, shows agression, or dies, doesn't mean your love for that person stops. We may change our daily routine or our environment, but we can't truly t...