Oh yes, I wish I were crafty. I have a mother who is crafty. And a sister-in-law who is crafty. So many of my friends are crafty-baby-hat/baby-sweater-knitters. Last night I sighed dramatically on the couch next to Chris and said, “Maybe I could learn to knit.” My husband raised his eyebrow. And not in a “You can do it!” sort of way. I know, I know. I dream of making sweetly glued things with shiny buttons and woven pretties. But... Read more
This is my first time to jump in on Conversion Diary’s 7 Quick Take Friday. This is because I cannot finish a whole thought today. Therefore, I will write you 7 partial thoughts and call it a day. Sound good? One: Yesterday I sat at the feet of a woman I cannot wait to know more of. Christine is married to our pastor at our new church. (The first day I visited Christ Church, August and Brooksie both erupted into scream... Read more
Welcome to Mama:Monk’s weekly Wednesday series examining St. Benedict’s Rule and what it is teaching me about life as a stay at home mom. “Count nothing more important that the love you should cherish for Christ…Don’t harbor in your heart any trace of deceit nor pretend to be at peace with another when you are not; don’t abandon the true standards of charity…speak truth with integrity of heart and tongue. “ (St. Benedict’s Rule, Chapter 4) Not one “trace of deceit”... Read more
Finding this on Ann Voskamp’s wonderful blog: “I doubt that there is such a thing as a measure of spirituality —but if there is, gratitude would be it. Only the grateful are paying attention. They are grateful because they pay attention, and they pay attention because they are so grateful” (Barnes, The Pastor as Minor Poet, quoted by Douglas Wilson) A baby who laughs hysterically when I hiccup Soft stones under my feet in the shower An almost-rainy Monday, with... Read more
Today we celebrate All Saints Day. We ride in the car to our new church, a people we’re still working our way into and around. We’re new to them, them to us. Last week my husband worshiped with our former church in San Francisco. Only months ago they were ours. We walked there, down city streets, with a boy in a stroller and a baby strapped to my chest. This week we drive the miles to the center of our... Read more
I was 20 when I became Katherinne’s sponsor. I was an idealist college student with a little spending money from my grandparents, a part-time job in the bowling alley, and really no sense of budgeting. But I had experienced poverty in Brazil and Chile, and I loved Compassion International. So when I got a note in the mail asking me if I would take on another child sponsorship, a little girl in Colombia, I said yes. Of course! I had... Read more
Welcome to Mama:Monk’s weekly Wednesday series examining St. Benedict’s Rule and what it has meant to me as a stay at home mom. (Full disclosure! I’m no expert on Benedict or the Benedictine Order. I just love him/them and can’t seem to stop reading books that have “Benedictine” in the title.) In my former life I traveled with the ease of a butterfly. Alighting here and there, I never needed much recovery when I moved from one spot to another. We flew... Read more
A Thankful Tuesday List: A boy who said this last night at bedtime: “I know a mysterious jaguar. He’s my friend. His name is Pikong. That stands for ‘pink songs’ because he likes pink things, like pink songs and pink doors and pink windows.” Cousins dressed as a skeleton baby, a fairy, a dragon slayer, an adorable cat, a zombie triathlete, a jabberwockie, and a 6th grader who doesn’t dress up anymore. I love my nieces and nephews and I’m... Read more
And in honor of Halloween, I’m re-posting what I wrote last year, “Why I believe in Halloween.” Though I was raised evangelical and can speak Christianese with the best of them, I doubt I’m anyone’s Evangelical Mother of the Year, especially when it comes to all the big things on the Christian no-no list. That said, I will now post about why I have celebrated Halloween my entire life, and why I think it’s Christian to do so. First... Read more
We wake up to snow piled on the outdoor table, still parked where it sat all summer. We were not prepared for this: two inches stuck on green leaves, quivering out of concerned trees. They weren’t prepared either. “Mama, does this mean it’s almost Christmas?” my boy asks in his pajamas and I shake my head. It’s not even Halloween yet. “But, Mama, you said when it snowed it would be almost Christmas!” I know I said that. I was... Read more
Micha Boyett
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In