New Year Considerations for our Bodies AND Souls

(This article was first published in our church's newsletter.) So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the …

Ginger Turmeric Immunity Shots

These are a bit messy to make and the turmeric turns your juicer and your hands orange. If you are not interested in making these on your own, a pre-made version of them can be bought in most supermarkets. They can be found locally-made at The Village Juice and Kitchen in Harrisonburg, a place you …

Transforming Grief into Compassionate Action

Following is an article I wrote for a Church of the Brethren publication several years ago. The content is still relevant and timely, so I wanted to share with my readers here.  When our infant daughter died in 2007, the world as my husband and I knew it forever changed. We were never again privy …

Borrowed Bread; how a cancer diagnosis had me grasping for future grace

I’ve always been prone to fretting about the “what ifs,” but with conscious effort and prayer over the years I’ve become more experienced at resting in God’s perfect provision. A recent message I shared at my church came back to “preach” to me again and again as I awaited unexpected biopsy results taken the day …

Beginning Homeschool Tips and Resources

The 2019/2020 school year was our first full year homeschooling. We had no idea how that decision would prepare us for the 2020 spring school closures. We pulled our children from public school with a middle-schooler, an elementary student, and preschoolers. We’re still figuring this homeschooling gig out but wanted to share some important things …

Thirteen years, and I still have to defend missing you

*A different tone than my usual posts. I always try to write with humility. Today I’m just struggling to breathe while I miss my sweet Sadie Rose and I’m weary of having to defend/explain why. As ALWAYS, love to my grieving families with ANY age/reason/type of loss. And with special sympathy to a local family …

Green World Coffee Farms, Wahiawa, Hawaii, and a toast to our graduates

Our February 2020 Hawaii trip feels surreal. Sometimes I wonder if it really happened. Upon our return, COVID-19 erupted stateside and our lives were caught up in a different whirlwind. All the pictures and posts I’d planned to share were suppressed by concerns of the virus and stay-at-home orders. Our children needed significant nurturing and …

Ten Things to do With Your Kids Inside While Quarantined

Here’s a game sacrilegiously titled, Mennonite Manners. You will need a piece of paper for each player, a pair of dice, and one pen.

The Rest Test

I’m evaluating my own patterns of rest. Here’s the link to an article I wrote for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine about the Productivity of Rest.

Snapshots

We had a whirlwind several weeks following the death of my aunt in a date nearly a thousand miles from us. The children and I joined other family to make the trip to Missouri, the state of my birth. You’ll see more about the trip in an upcoming post, but for now, here’s some snapshots …