My Apologies to Everyone in Baggage Claim
I kissed my kids goodbye at church after Liturgy on Sunday and headed for the airport leaving them with my mom and dad. I had a doctor appointment in Atlanta and was going to be gone for one night. My departure from home was uneventful so it didn’t prepare me for the incident I was going to encounter while walking through baggage claim the next day after arriving back home.
Read MoreCoffee Date with Niki
I was invited by my 17 year-old daughter for a coffee date to do school work. Um…yes, please.
Grandma graciously agreed to watch the boys while we left to spend the next few hours at a nearby coffee cafe. It’s not the typical cranked out coffee shop. As soon as you walk in the door, you realize it’s a well-loved hang out. The walls have received many obvious layers of paint, although it still looks nice. (Maybe something I’d see in England at an old pub.) The floor has been ripped up and left baring only black cement but somehow it works for this place. The lights shine down from the ceiling casting shadows on the tables and people below. The aroma of brewed espresso lingers in the air and temptingly whispers to me to order one. Laptops glow against a few, scattered faces. Hands write feverishly as they take notes or write an assignment. Friends chat on a nearby couch while sipping on hot tea to ease the chill of the cool air seeping into the coffee shop through a cracked screen door.
Read MoreFirst Post on “The Sounding”
While my words tend to flow slightly more free through the taps of a keyboard than through the words spoken as they leave my lips with any one of you about this experience, they are no less intertwined with my deepest emotions . I’ve given it a lot of thought over the past several days why I decided to write a post about a significantly personal time in my life where I cannot seem to bring myself to talk to anyone close to me about it other than my husband. I’ve pondered. I’ve analyzed. I’ve left it alone in my mind for awhile, only to see it staring back at me.
Read MoreRelaunch of OCN’s Blog
OCN‘s (Orthodox Christian Network) blog just underwent changes and relaunched The Sounding yesterday. I was invited about a month ago to be a guest writer for the blog as part of this relaunch. I initially accepted the offer and then later had to turn it down. On Monday, three separate people (who coincidentally don’t know each other) nudged and encouraged me to go ahead and write for The Sounding now instead of later this year. I’ve always found writing therapeutic and an event earlier this week supplied the content of my first post for The Sounding titled A Mother’s Heartache - which is scheduled to be published on Monday, February 6, 2012. Join me on The Sounding as I contribute once a month with many other talented Orthodox writers.
The Sounding Promo Video
Read MoreKids’ Conversation on the Way Home from Church
After church on Sunday a friend of mine gave each of my boys and two of my nieces a dollar bill. On our way home, my 5 y.o. niece proposed a bright idea to her cousins and younger sister, “I have bubble gum Friday at my school. It costs $1 for 5 pieces of gum. If we all put our money together then we’ll have $5 and can get 25 pieces of gum. We can each have 5 pieces! Your family gets 15 pieces and my family gets 10 pieces.”
Read MoreCousins Board the Polar Express
A chill is in the air and Christmas traditions are beckoning. During this time of year, centering the season on the birth of Christ is by far our first priority but we also have some fun traditions with the kids. One of my personal favorites is baking cookies with my kids. I vividly remember helping bake with my grandmothers and (especially) my mom. I can still see myself scooping flour and sugar and pouring them into the bowl. I watched oh so intently as my mom cracked the eggs and wished I was old enough to do it myself but completely content in pouring them into the batter. Then the best part came - rolling out the cookie dough and then shaping or cutting them out. We’d go play while they baked in the oven until you could smell the sweet aroma of fresh cookies wafting throughout the house. You didn’t need to tell us they were ready. We’d impatiently wait for them to cool just enough so we wouldn’t burn our mouths. Somehow I don’t think those cookies would have tasted quite as good as they did if my mom (and grandmothers) hadn’t allowed us to do the simple task of pouring in ingredients and getting a few stirs with the wooden spoon before my arm was too tired.
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