Just A Mom from Ohio

WORDS...mine have been lacking lately. I haven't published a blog post in almost 6 weeks. That is not the best strategy for building a following. But sometimes I need to be quiet and listen instead of speaking and getting my point across. Earlier today, I heard 2 songs that caught my attention. The 1st was "Words" by Hawk Nelson and the 2nd was "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United. I love the song "Oceans". You should see me or hear me when I belt it out in the car. It's been out awhile and can still almost bring me to tears. It is just powerful. So what do the 2 songs have to do with each other? Well, I guess I just wrote it, power . Words are powerful. Hence songs are powerful. I don't want to write and post blogs just to push out content. There needs to be purpose and meaning. I was struck and humbled by the lyrics of both of these songs tonight and just wanted to share what is on my heart. ' Death and life are in the ...

As the Daniel Tiger song goes, "a neighbor is here to help, a neighbor is here to help". Coincidentally the episode all about ways to be a neighbor was on this morning. I love this show! How silly of me but it is truly my favorite kids show because I am learning too. Learning the little songs to help me in my many moments of parenting challenges. I even have the DT Parents app on my phone which features all the songs when you may need them on the go.  Is being a good neighbor mowing the lawn on the same day everyone else does, keeping the bushes trimmed, and the mulch fresh? Is it waving hello and smiling when you see each other? Moving into a new neighborhood has sparked an awareness in me about neighboring. Our real estate agent held an open house and pie event for the neighbors to come over about a month after we moved in. It was interesting because some of the people didn't know each well and this was a good opportunity to say hello and reconnect a neighborhoo...

Music is so crucial to my heart. It has been a friend when no one else seemed to see me. It has been an escape. I love how music can transport me to another world. If I am sad, some songs help me to release that, or can turn it to anger. I'm sad and still in shock about the suicide of Linkin Park's, Chester Bennington , as I deeply connected to much of his vocals. His raw sound, his heartfelt scream, and occasional quiet sounds would come alive through the speakers to me. I remember when the first album came out, I was in high school, and in deep emotional pain. In my teenage world, it really didn't feel like anything mattered, especially the truth. It felt like a waste. I couldn't do anything about it, so I spent a lot of time alone and writing. When Chester sang, I felt like he was able to yell out the many feelings buried deep inside of me. I never could scream and always wanted to. I choose now to listen to mainly Christian radio. One artist I follow is Blanca...

Yesterday I finished reading the chapter titled, The Great Sadness, from the book The Shack by WM. Paul Young. And the tears flowed. There was so much overwhelming grief pouring out of my soul that I was confused about why I was even reading this book. But I know that reading this book was recommended not to make me sad but for me to grow. God does that sometimes too, doesn't he? Uses pain to help us grow. As I was wiping away the tears and blowing my nose and feeling too many feelings my temptation was to stop reading the book. But what would that really do? Then I would have been left with my feelings and had no resolution. I realize this book is technically fiction but the sadness is very real. There are lots of people that face these kinds of situations all the time, everyday, and it breaks my heart. I hate the idea of someone hurting, especially a child . So now what? Am I going to keep reading? Am I going to keep living when life feels really awful? Do I wake up each new...

The Heart of Te Fiti You can tell I'm a mom when all I can talk, think, or sing about is a Disney movie. This is somewhat new. Moana is the 1st movie my kids have had much interest in. Frozen is a close 2nd but I don't really care for that one. I genuinely like Moana. It cracks me up that my son, who just turned 2, will start asking for Moana and he will sit there for awhile to watch it. I like the theme of the movie, which I interpret as restoring the heart. When I think of the ugly parts of our world, for me, its anything or anyone that hurts children. Makes me sick inside. Causes a lot of wrestle, a call for me to study the Bible, ask God questions, pray, listen, wait, and grow in my faith. Hopefully I won't personally know anyone doing this type of harm to a child but the darkness of sin is present all around. I do encounter it and it is a struggle. When the pain from sin seeps into my life, close enough to choke on it, the fight is on. What do I do when I fe...