• Devotionals - Titus2 - Womanhood

    the power of communication

    Regardless the circumstance, the importance and power of good communication cannot be understated.  The impact of either good or bad, clear or muddled, distinct or vague communication is powerful.  Think of a time recently when something you said or did was misunderstood by another person; or consider the last time you misunderstood what was communicated to you.  How’d that go for you?  What were the consequences? I’m sharing with you part of a talk I gave last night at our monthly TitusTwo meeting.  As I go along through the years, I’m so grateful for these opportunities to share (and learn!!!)…

  • Aging - Motherhood - mothering from the sidelines - my story - Womanhood

    Keeping Up

    I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately… you know, keeping up.  Not the Keeping up with the Joneses sort of keeping up, but the staying strong and keeping up with the times sort of keeping up.  It’s been going on for awhile, but I hadn’t noticed it so much in the last few years as much as I have recently. On a recent trip down to SeaTac airport, there was some questioning who’d drive and who’d stay home.  I volunteered to drive and as I was driving and the miles were passing… maybe it was mile-marker 14 or so,…

  • Devotionals - Potpourri - Womanhood

    2013… Endeavors

    It’s a new year, a clean, fresh start… be done with lesser things, be a woman who seeks joy, peace and love — start today doing foundational things… and what are these, where can they be found, Who is the Source?  The source is Jesus… Faith in the Living Lord Jesus and being found in Him… daily looking to Him; daily abiding in Him; daily watching at His gates and following in His Steps.  All of these “Endeavor-To-Be’s” are nothing if not founded upon the Faith of Jesus and His Life in and through us — know this “in my…

  • Faith - Potpourri - Wayward's - Womanhood

    A Patient Woman

    A beautiful image is brought to my mind as I think of… a patient woman.  Conversely, what an ugly image is brought to mind at the thought of an impatient woman.  It takes me no time to bring up recollections of impatience (on my part or on the part of another).  But what I seek is for ready responses of patience – patient thoughts, patient replies to requests, patient understanding. So beautiful is the woman who patiently waits, patiently listens, patiently answers, patiently watches, patiently prays.  I long for this  peaceable fruit of righteousness.  Though there are times my actions…

  • Devotionals - Essays - Faith - Womanhood

    Things aren’t as ___ .

    Hey… how’s your day going?  Anybody ask you that yet today?  What’s going on in the theater of your mind today?  I hope you’ll be encouraged on many levels today. I can’t pinpoint the thing that drew me to remembering this today — to humming this song (The “Sunscreen” song… a piece attributed to Baz Luhrman that he used by permission, originally written by Mary Schmich). If it’s too loud, turn down your speakers… the intent here is not to blare some rappy tune but I hope a few of these life-experience tidbits of advice might be of some encouragement…

  • Devotionals - Family - Womanhood

    Opportunities Come and Go

    I mull over this phrase from time to time as I consider the many opportunities I’ve had, the many opportunities I’ve botched and the many opportunities I’ve either missed or passed up through the years.  The missed and passed up opportunities have probably hounded me as much or more than the opportunities I’ve botched.  Usually, but not always, I’ve had or take a second opportunity to repair or at least attempt to make up for that botched opportunity and usually (but not always) things have turned out okay.  But still, it’s those occasions I missed or passed up — those…

  • Devotionals - Family - Womanhood

    Facing and ‘fessing

    I’ve been thinking of you and am praying that God is blessing you in your home today.   I’m sure I’m not alone in the busyness of life or that there’s been more day than the day can hold sometimes.  So I’m [still!]  wondering how to do more in less time or how to make sure that each day I do what counts the most.  And, I’ve had to face up and fess up to the fact that some days it’s not so much that there’s so much to do but that I’ve been focusing on the wrong things — allowing…

  • Family - Homemaking - Motherhood - Potpourri - Titus2 - Womanhood

    What’s a mother to do?

    Dear Sister, First, I want to thank you for writing — for it is in acknowledging our condition and in seeing our need that we can best affirm and apply, by the grace of God, the help or teaching we receive. Second, though this may not be helpful, you’re not alone and your situation or your  “dilemma”  is not unusual.   The devil may attempt to tell you otherwise, but what you’ve written is common to women who both come home from the “work-force” *and* who’ve been trained otherwise.  The “trained otherwise” is the main problem — not the new daily…

  • Homeschooling - Potpourri - Slices of Life - Womanhood

    Compare-a-titus

    If you’ve been a mom for any length of time and you’ve spent time in and about homeschooling circles, Bible studies, workshops, conventions, courtship talks, retreats, blogs in the last 3 years or so… etc., etc., you’ve no doubt heard, or been part of, conversations that left you with a case of comparatitus.  All those Titus2 groups… you may lament and despair.   Comparatitus happens — no matter your age, no matter your income, no matter your experience and, really, no matter your skills and abilities.  Comparatitus happens. Some time back, a group of sisters were gathered and there was…

  • Devotionals - Family - Wayward's - Womanhood

    Testing of Faith

    “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”  –1Peter 1.6-7 There seems to be no lonelier place than the den of rejection — few trials more painful and few trails more uncertain.  And for us, as Christian women – wives and mothers, the enemy is at his fiercest when we give in to…