Coffee CubBuster

Antoinette Portis' children's book, Not a Box,  is a fan favorite in our home. Boys love the box design story, but all kids love the concept of pretend no matter the medium. Sadly imaginations are quickly fossilizing in our screen-filled, Siri/Alexa, instantaneously-answered world. Curiosity once killed the cat, but now, anxiety is her silent threat. Without an outlet for creativity, imaginations quickly turn to fearful frets and anxious worry. It is no secret that an increasing number of our population (both youth and mature) is clinically or self-diagnosed with anxiety disorders. I believe we all possess an innate desire to create, and our imaginations don't cease to exist when we enter adulthood. We have just made it increasingly difficult to use our imaginations for unique and delightful creativity because there's a plethora of already created material right at our finger tips. Thus, our creative minds have become lazy. Pretending we are just a rocket ship soaring t...

I have met people that bemoan their children graduating from certain seasons, and I have met others who have expressed true love of every single season of parenting, claiming "every stage is my favorite stage." While I have already seen certain "sweet spots" in parenting, I hope to be one of those latter parents who simply enjoys the good and bad of where I'm momentarily residing. "Do not say, 'why were the old days better than these?' for it is not wise to ask such questions" (Eccl. 7:10). Along the same vein, it's important not to assume once you get to a certain place, everything will get easier. "Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). I'm guilty of presupposing that I'd be sleeping through the night with baby number four by a certain month unable to foresee the constant illnesses my sweet boy would endure b...

Many mamas know that once you become a mother, sleep and physical nourishment go by the wayside for a very long time in the pursuit of providing these necessities for your young. Children seem to sense that you are not eating and sleeping as much, so they too choose to forgo these essentials during various growth stages (at least that's been my experience with all four boys). Once they hit adolescence, though, their compassion doesn't correlate as precisely; while you continue to lose rest over their life choices, they indulge in an exorbitant amount of sleep and food. Giving our offspring the fundamental building blocks to health and sanity seems indisputable, yet somehow they find a way to dispute it at different ages. Even though the world marks out special days on our calendar to remember those who have given up their lives for others, we must remember them on the non-essential days because life doesn't always correlate to our calendars. Sometimes our kids are sick or ...

Once upon a time I scored the exact same on both math and verbal sections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. It may be that I'm equally as smart in both areas, or equally as dumb, but I'd venture to say that my brain simply prefers balance. Areas like algebra come easier because there is an obvious mathematical equation. Whereas geometry, theorems, and statistical information have always proven ambiguous and bewildering for me. Similarly, iambic pentameter, phonics, and grammar have obvious guidelines I can follow with ease, but the beauty of writing and creativity is also very attractive to me. Thus, whenever I think I understand something, the anomaly occurs. Once upon a time I believed that having a life free of hardship equated to a life free of worry.      Now I know that humans tend to worry when things are well and feel more peace when they have nothing left to do but trust peacefully. Once upon a time I believed people read their Bibles for the same reason peop...