Mothering Prayer
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moreHow to Cultivate the Habit of Focus . . . . . in an Age of Distraction
On Wednesday, September 05 th, 2012The rest of us cracked open books here. A certain little someone walked around with posies of pink erasers on the end of slim yellow stems. We read about maple trees and conifers and the Canadian Shield and made the ivories sort of sound of mostly like Ode to Joy. When I turned a page and read about the ceremonies of native ...
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moreWhat Fills the Space after a Goodbye
On Tuesday, September 04 th, 2012He wasn’t yet a week when I changed his diaper in the front seat of that Ford Escort and he’d christened his father’s steering wheel with this stream of pale gold. The Farmer had muttered something about this boy of his being the death of him yet. I’d chuckled, tucked the falling hair behind the ear, ...
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moreWhen You’re Broken & Don’t Know Where to Go:
On Thursday, August 30 th, 2012When she was standing there in the spring, under the blaze of the blooming trees, I could remember 13. I could remember the burn of the unfurl, and how the becoming sears, and how does a mother help a daughter light? How does a woman be a light? We had walked down to the water’s edge. ...
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morea prayer for a daughter
On Friday, August 24 th, 2012Father who breathed into this daughter… I pray for this girl being formed into eternity…. May the wind always be in her hair May the sky always be wide with hope above her And may all the hills be an exhilaration the trials but a trail, all the stones but stairs to God. God, clothe this girl ...
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moreHow to handle (parent) temper-tantrums
On Tuesday, August 21 st, 2012‘M y boys come in from the barn. I lay out bread. They banter, hard, the brother-scrape. One of the boys tosses in slices of bread for toast, careless. I set ...
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more10 Ways to be a Happier Mom
On Wednesday, August 15 th, 201210 Ways to be a Happier Mom 1. Life is not an emergency. Life’s a gift. Just. Slow. Down. 2. Now is not a...
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moreThe Very Best Way to Schedule Your Life {The Law of Life}
On Thursday, August 09 th, 2012I confess, it felt counter-intuitive—just plain wrong. Just plain, straight out wrong to bend over each strawberry plant, press the delicate white petals — and all subsequent hopes of fleshy scarlet sweet — press between thumb and index finger — and then just pluck it off. I had forced myself o...
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morehow the size of your house has nothing to do with the size of your life
On Tuesday, July 03 rd, 2012After such a week as last week, I’m feeling very small & hushed & I’ve slipped away to the woods with the Farmer & kids. Thank you for prayers last week, for grace as our family tucks away quiet for just a few days…and we’re delighted to invite you up to the front porch to share with some of the best writers on the Web — today, with a ...
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morewhen you are feeling overwhelmed…
On Friday, June 15 th, 2012When a sparrow gets caught behind the couch, it’s the light at the other end, behind the poor thing, that we keep trying to turn that one pounding heart towards. Because the thing is and don’t I know it: If you’re turned the wrong way, you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. So I’m kneeled on the floor in front of a poun...
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moreA Mother’s Perfect Work
On Thursday, June 14 th, 2012Seven. She wakes up this morning that number of perfection and I don’t ask where time goes when she crawls into my bed, her nose crinkled in this giddy giggling. She had told me yesterday, “Let’s all be the happiest today — because it’s the last day I’ll ever, ever be six.” And I had...
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moreWhen You Feel like Your Life’s a Mess …. The Real Truth About Your Dirt
On Thursday, May 17 th, 2012When he walks through the kitchen with his hair showered clean but his face looking like that, I just have to laugh. “What?” he says. “Really, I showered, Mom, I did.” Levi stands indignant, hands on hip, and I nod half serious. “You showered?” “Yes, Mom! It’s only my clothes that are dirty.” He’s been picking stones ...
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moreA Perfect DIY Mother’s Day …………… {or “How to make Your Own R&R Day”}
On Saturday, May 12 th, 2012Because there are days when every mother – every woman – just needs to have her own perfect little DIY project: 1. Go for walk just anywhere quiet, ju...
