September 19 2011, 1:43 pm | Holly Moore
I tend to have attention problems. I’m not “ADHD” as inattentive people are so loosely termed these days. As a matter of fact, I’m usually, very focused. Which, is why, the inattentive thing is such a problem form me. Wait. What? Didn’t you just say you are usually very focused, but you have attention problems? Yes, I did. So let me explain the perceived oxymoron. You see, when things need to get done at work, I do them. When I’m reading something...
September 15 2011, 10:57 am | Shannon Williams
I have a story to share about a young woman, the man she loves and the baby they were allowed to hold for 93 minutes. If you know our family, then you have probably heard us say…”the Gibson’s are coming!” They have been part of our lives since we were in high school as youth pastor/mentor, he married Barry and me, and now they are precious friends for life. As the years have passed we watch our children’s lives become intertwined. It’s precious to have friends...
September 12 2011, 11:26 am | Holly Elliff
I thought my evening was over. My normal routine is to stumble to the back door, let Abby the schnauzer out one more time and then I’m out like a light. HOWEVER, when I opened the door, Abby walked out and something I will call Micro-Kermit hopped in. This frog was tiny, a little smaller than a dime, and he was wired! He took off across my kitchen like one of those random bouncy balls from a vending machine. I began to contemplate my options: 1. Pretend I never saw him. 2....
September 08 2011, 3:36 pm | Shana Wilson
“You have turned my mourning into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.” Psalm 31:11-12 In April 2009 I had a total hysterectomy. I didn’t want to have a hysterectomy, but because I had been diagnosed with hormone positive breast cancer the year before, my oncologist insisted that removing my ovaries was important in decreasing the odds of a cancer recurrance. I knew that I was making the right decision for my body, but losing my fertility was one of the hardest...
September 06 2011, 11:47 am | Rebekah Hollaway
Sitting in a hospital room next to my 3 year old daughter, I recalled a conversation I had with her recently as we were praying: Keren: "Mommy, I don't like storms" Me: "Really? I do." Keren: "Why do you like storms?" Me: "They help me rest." But as I sit here in a "storm" of life, am I resting? One aspect is a forced rest: When a doctor tells you that your baby is being admitted to the hospital, calendars are cleared, appointments are canceled, and the waiting starts. But, I'...
September 01 2011, 1:10 pm | Shannon Williams
I'd like to introduce you to Christie Erwin as our guest blogger today. Christie has a heart for children that just consumes her. As her neighbor and friend she challenges me to love children more when I see them through her eyes. Christie and her family have cared for over 40 children in the past 15 years. She is a wife, mom to 5 children as well as the Co-Chairman of the Pulaski County Adoption Coalition and Coordinator for the Pulaski County Heart Gallery. And the author of "The Middle Mom Blog" and the book "The Middle...
August 29 2011, 8:16 pm | Mary Lyons
Anyone who has known me very long at all, like 5 minutes, will know about Angela and Sandra. These are the women in my life who hold the titles of Friend, Confidante, God Chasing Prayer Partner, Aunt to My Children, Shoulder to Cry On and yes…even Hard Truth Speaker. I get to occupy these places in their lives too. Well, except I’m also Angry Argument Maker. (They would be nodding here). When God called me out of my darkness and distance from Him 11 years ago He did so by placing these women in my life in...
August 25 2011, 9:02 pm | Rebekah Hollaway
Women, we've done ourselves and our husbands a huge disservice. It probably starts at conception when God gives us the sole responsibility to nurture and care for the miracle growing inside us. But then 9 months later we sit with that precious miracle in our arms. Let's admit it...we are overcome with love for our baby and concern about our own inadequacy. I don't care how much you've read...in that moment, as you are staring into those eyes, you realize that this is beyond anything you've ever experienced. You...
August 22 2011, 3:31 pm | Clara Jones
A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud. 2 Peter 2:22b There was once a little pig that desperately longed to be a princess. She looked at herself and was disgusted by the filth that she lived in, but because she so enjoyed wallowing in the mud, she could not seem to keep herself clean, no matter how hard she tried. One day she heard that she had been summoned by the king and that she had better prepare herself to...
August 18 2011, 2:30 pm | Shannon Williams
You can’t live very long on this planet and not experience pain in one form or another. For me, it’s been the last couple of years in some physical pain as I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis a year ago May. You don’t get a diagnosis like that and NOT have a little process time! My first thought, life is over! How on earth am I going to be a mom to 8 children and a wife to my husband when the pain in my hand, wrist, shoulder, foot, or knee...