Nothing can really prepare you to get a phone call from the geneticist telling you that your child has a really rare syndrome that will change her life, and that of your entire family forever…even if you and your husband already knew it in your hearts.
Posts in the "Intention" category:
A Good Neighbor
This morning my neighbor Mary came over for a visit. She brought her two little boys, the same ages as mine, and didn’t even bat an eye when my two year old balled his little hand up in a fist and punched her two year old. Which is only one of the many reasons why I love […]
Want Peace? Get Laryngitis
The kids have been sick: tonsillitis for some, just a cold for others. As a tribute to how much they love me, the kids passed on their illnesses to me. (Ah, the sweet gifts of motherhood!) I’m coming to the tail end of it now, but I have no voice. And the best part […]
Two Sanity Saving Phrases
“Huh?” “What did you say?” “I didn’t hear you say that!” Sound familiar? If you have spent any time with children, these responses are probably all too common. When our oldest child Emma was a toddler, I found myself repeating what I had just said over and over again, driving myself insane. It was […]
A Mother Without Children
Submitted by Amanda Shaw: When I heard about your photography contest I knew that I had to submit this picture. I don’t know anything about photography so hopefully it fits your criteria. This is my all time favorite picture of motherhood. In the picture are two of my kids and my third is taking the […]
Answering Hard Questions
One of my favorite things about being a parent is when one of my kids approaches me with a question. Something they are wondering about, mulling over. “Mom,” someone will say, “I have a question.” And in that moment, the pause before the asking, I brace myself. Because who knows what the question will be, […]
The Beauty of Asking for Help
I’m slowly checking off my summer bucket list. Today was tie dye, peaches and strawberries, picnic dinner at Descanso Gardens (with live music) and back home for root beer floats. Even better, tonight at Descanso Gardens I was able to do one of my favorite things. For our picnic dinner I made a really yummy […]
The Snapshot That Changed My Life
I had some expectations for my life, and my life isn’t turning out as expected. I expected I’d go to college, serve a mission for my church, maybe attend graduate school and then get married, work for a while and have kids. That all happened. Perhaps not in the same way or as quickly as […]
Big Things Are Made of Little Things
As I studied third world development and international relations in my undergraduate studies at Wellesley College and went on to study what education is and what more it could be with my Masters at Harvard, I figured out a whole lot of seemingly brilliant solutions to many vital issues. I felt I was headed for […]
Choosing My Words
The other day I was listening to Ashton reprimand the twins for something they weren’t supposed to do – he was using such a mean tone of voice! The twins were crying and I told Ashton it makes the twins feel like he doesn’t really like them when he talks to them like that. […]
Acting or Being Acted Upon
While living in Boston back in 2003, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by a very successful Harvard professor. To this day, I still reflect on a simple statement he made: “I have found that the times in my life when I am most successful are when I am acting, not being […]
Celebrate Imagination
Sometimes you’ve got to have a little imagination to get you through the trenches of motherhood. You’ve also got to enjoy the imagination your kids are naturally full of. There’s nothing that brightens a dreary morning like walking in on your three-year-old daughter after the breakfast chaos to find her in the midst of […]