The Christmas Advent tradition has become entangled with the slow, out-of-control adoption theme in my life. It’s fitting that I’m writing this in the first days of advent, when we embrace the expectation of a child planned and promised ages before His due date. Generations …
Do you ever feel paralyzed by a sickening fear that it’s too late for you to find a passion or pursue a new course in life? Do you ever think, “If only ___________ (some bizarrely-perfect combination of events) would happen, THEN I could ______________ (insert …
A conversation with a friend at the park this week turned up the heat on a dilemma already simmering in my mind. Growing up in the church I was repeatedly exposed to the idea that men are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the …
The construction workers across from our house had no idea they were putting on a show for my kids. Call me a mom-portunist, but if the adventure wants to move in across the street, I say let’s bring a picnic and enjoy. Literally. Over the …
People are often surprised when I tell them I still get nervous before I speak in front of churches or groups. Sure, those nerves can point us inward in fear that we won’t be enough, but they can point us outward to dependence on the …
Thank God no one is grading me on this parenting thing, because I’ll be the first to admit that most days I wonder if I’m even eking out a C- . This week alone I drove one kid to school with his “100 days” class …
“Yeah, you’re stressed and now you’re stressing me out and everyone else!” Said my 8 year old boy. When did my 2nd grader become a conniving wee therapist who could deftly wield a shovel to simultaneously unearth my mood and bury my parental authority alive? …
I thought people-pleasing, by definition, was a selfless quality. Granted, people-pleasing isn’t for the faint of heart. It requires exhausting over-thinking, painstaking anticipation of emotional responses BEFORE they occur, and the compromising flexibility of a contortionist to bend into whatever agreeable shape is needed in …
You could say I’m going through a “busy” season. Here’s a list of reasons why: My kids are home on summer vacation. There’s 3 of them. I just published a book and have a launch party this Friday, July 27th. My schedule is packed with …
I don’t know how May snuck out the back door so quickly but June is already unpacked and throwing a confetti of school events and pre-summer shenanigans in the Burr house. I’m trying to squeeze a couple extra doctors appointments, coffee dates, and writing deadlines …