The story of how The Mother Letters came about is best told by Amber and Seth Haines themselves. You can read Seth's explanation if you click on the "Look Inside" option over at the Amazon listing. Once the "Look Inside" window opens, scroll slowly past the Table of Contents to the Preface, where Seth tells how he curated letters from Amber's friends and … [Read more...]
Called by Name: How My Kids Found Joy in Hard Work
Several of my daughters’ friends work part-time at a fast food restaurant. Others fold shirts at retail clothing stores. We know a girl who dishes up ice cream, and a boy who repairs television sets. My three teenage daughters work at a dog kennel. They hoist 40-pound bags of dog food on their shoulders and lug poo buckets across the yard to hurl the contents into a … [Read more...]
What Is Family Culture – Interview with Dr. Helen Fagan
When I (Ann) wrote about family culture in 2008, I offered a few simple thoughts and personal examples on the topic. Curious to learn more about the concept of family culture, I interviewed Dr. Helen Fagan, leadership and diversity scholar and practitioner, to understand the topic better and offer readers a solid resource. The following are Dr. Fagan's thoughts on … [Read more...]
First Time Camping – Tomorrow Night, Marshmallows
When my childhood friend returned home from vacation, I’d run to her house and ask about the trip. She hiked in the mountains and slept in a tent and fell asleep to night sounds of crickets and tree frogs and hooting owls. They cooked meals wrapped in foil and roasted marshmallows on sticks. Fascinated, I asked my parents one night, “Can we go camping?” It was … [Read more...]
A Foreigner Sees the World
The world of my childhood centered on a small farm in the American Midwest where my parents leased out the fields and kept a herd of cattle. We gobbled down all-you-can-eat catfish at small-town diners and overheard farmers discussing crop rotation. I never expected to travel outside the United States—a trip to Florida was exotic enough for me. As for learning a second … [Read more...]
A Prison of His Own Fears
On a Saturday morning in September, my 86-year-old dad reported he'd been bitten on the forehead by an insect. It swelled up, he said. Strange, I thought. My husband and I drove out to the farm to inspect. He hadn't been bitten. He’d fallen. We took him straight to the hospital, where they admitted him for tests. While there, he ran into some complications, but they … [Read more...]
The Christmas Clown
My mom would tie a garland of plastic holly to the stair railing and pull out a ball of fake mistletoe that she’d have Dad hang from the ceiling light in the hallway. We’d plug in plastic molded candelabras with orange bulbs and place them in the sunroom windows. We’d drive into town and pick out a tree from the Methodist Church lot set up on Main Street and haul it … [Read more...]
For My Writer-Mom: A Bouquet of Memories
My writer mom worked as the editor of our local newspaper, covering news all over the county. If a reporter couldn't make it to an event, Mom would grab her camera, reporter's pad, and pen—and quite often her daughter—to capture the news herself. This meant that whether I wanted to or not, I visited sporting events, live nativity scenes, church bazaars, festivals, … [Read more...]
Not So Fast at Soul Stops, Pt. 2
If you're moving a little too fast today, feeling rushed and stressed, I encourage you to take two minutes to listen to the following song. I suspect you'll be grinning by the time the Smothers Brothers step in to help with the ending, and you'll feel far more relaxed, even groovy: [youtube_sc url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBQxG0Z72qM"] When you've settled … [Read more...]
Book Response – Cracking Up: A Postpartum Faith Crisis
As an editor and writing coach, I quite happily end up with a lot of books. I'm going to introduce you to some of them. These won't exactly be reviews, however. I'd say these posts will read more like a response to each book. Today, I'm offering my personal response to Cracking Up: A Postpartum Faith Crisis by Kimberlee Conway Ireton. __________________________ One … [Read more...]
Food on Fridays: College Kid Form Letter
For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the button to include with your post. It ties us together visually. Then … [Read more...]
Preparing to Send Off a College-Bound Child
"The State Fair." That's what my college-bound daughter answered when I asked, "Is there anywhere else you'd like to go before you leave next week?" She said she wanted to ride the rides, and when she said "rides," her eyes lit up like they did when she was four and wanted to ride "Sandy," the mechanical horse in Meijer that gently galloped while she held onto the … [Read more...]
From Office Administrator to Family Manager
I remember rolling a cart through the office superstore and piling it full of pens, file folders, printer cartridges, staples, a box of coffee creamers, reams of copy paper and a stack of pink message pads. My work as Administrative Coordinator for a start-up church—my first job out of college—included restocking the supply cabinet at the end of the hall. I’d swipe the … [Read more...]
Curiosity Journal: March 6, 2013 (Speech & Debate Edition)
Most Wednesdays (or thereabouts) I’ve been recording a Curiosity Journal to recap the previous week using these tag words: reading, playing, learning, reacting and writing. Sometimes I mix up the order, just to keep you on your toes. Reading Not much reading time available during this speech and debate tournament. Playing For my birthday last Friday, we ate at Noodles … [Read more...]
The Play Project: Dolphin Joy
Not long ago, I wrote of the paucity of play in my life and decided to launch The Play Project. I hoped to begin integrating more fun, laughter, and simple pleasures into everyday life. This is the first official follow-up to my introductory post. We followed my mom along the boardwalk edging the waterway in Port Royal, South Carolina. She was eager to show us this … [Read more...]
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