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Saints and Sinners
On a ride in the Suburban recently, the kids and I had a pretty heavy theological discussion. “How do we know who goes to heaven and who goes to hell?” one of my deep thinkers asked. “Well,” I started. Like I usually do. A stalling method I think I have perfected but which I know will have a short shelf life. And Bergen jumps in – “I know that. Good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell.” “Well,” I paused again. “That is not exactly true son. Are you a good person?” He nodded his head yes. “Do you ever do bad things?” I probed. Bergen said,…
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One Snowy Day
A snow day in South Carolina. From my experience thus far, that’s a pretty rare treat. And something worth celebrating. It started as a small group – our family and Chris. A little rolling in the snow. A little throwing of balls crafted from snow. A little sad snowman building. A little trekking through the snowy woods. A little grilled cheese and soup eating. And then Walter sent a text warning us that a group of adventurers would be arriving shortly. And nearly immediately we looked out the window and saw a gang of pals approaching via foot on the driveway. Our small group quickly leaped into a gathering. A…
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Big Week
This might just be London’s week. Chocked full of Big Deal Moments. This week London discovered that she has another loose tooth. (She has plans for how to extract this one – use that special numbing creme Daddy found. And she has plans for how to spend that tooth fairy fortune – buy Mosely an American Girl doll. How do I break it to her that one of those two things is an absolute impossibility?) London also gained a new Big Deal Skill. It was time to leave the house and she could not find her favorite slip-on shoes. Slouching and making a most unpleasant face she trudged off to…
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The Next Thing
Today I woke up feeling . . . defeated. Like the battle was over and I had already lost. I read this quote once that Elisabeth Elliot (our Mosely Elliot’s namesake) had once said to her daughter. I read it probably ten years ago. Maybe more. But I still think about it nearly every day of my life. Especially on days when I just need to manage. To make it to the next day. Or the next afternoon. Or the next hour. Or whenever. She said, “Don’t think about everything you need to do. Just do the next thing.”
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Misheard
After reading a story in the Bible about Lot and his infamous salty spouse, London tried to retell Piper the story. “And Lot’s wife turned into a pile of salt!” London informed her younger sister. But Piper misunderstood. “Oh,” she replied. “Lot’s wife turned into Bible sauce?”
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Sounds Logical
I am simply going to record a real conversation that took place earlier today in the confines of our Suburban. London: Who will I marry, Mommy? Me: Oh. I don’t know. I guess you will have to wait and see who God has planned for you. L-: How will I know who that is? Me: Well. In a lot of ways I guess. The young man will be pursuing God. Your daddy and I will like him. Uh . . . L-: So why can’t I just marry Bergen? We’re all Christians. Me: Brothers and sisters just do not get married to one another. Mosely: I plan to marry Otto.…
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Some Days
I was thinking about not writing today. Because some days are simply a lot less fun to write about than others. And today wasn’t all that fun, really. Our littlest dog, Kipling Sunshine, passed away today. She was eleven years old and was nearly blind and losing her hearing too. But even events that are expected can still be sad. We had Kip, along with her dog co-conspirators Sadie and Bosco, before we had children. And so we did what lots of children-less adults do . . . we treated our dogs as four-legged people. (Can you believe that?) But it’s true. (Today we even discovered the photos that proved…
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Now, THAT Was A Good Time
Friendship is a sheltering tree. -Samuel Coleridge There are just some people that you love to be around – aren’t there? People who make you laugh. Who make you feel good about being exactly who you are. Encouragers. People who are not naively optimistic but yet exude warmth and cheerfulness and hopefulness. I have a friend like that. And this past week she and her two adorable boys came to our house to hang out for a few days. We did a lot of silly little things (pretended our kitchen was an internet cafe and played on our laptops simultaneously). We seemed to eat a lot of food (like creating…
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It Has To Be Said
So. Here’s Wilder. He’s really devouring the Word.
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The Drive Home
Do you know what is the best sound to hear as you drive through a torrential downpour? Mosely, singing “somewhere out there”. No. Not a song. Just those words. “Somewhere out there.”
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Because She Can Read
If you have read this blog for very long you may have noticed a few things. I think our kids are funny. I like to take pictures of them and to tell stories about them. There are six of them. But one does not appear here nearly as frequently as the others. Yes. I know. But it has nothing to do with my love for Riley, our beautiful teenaged daughter. (Or maybe it has everything to do with my love for her.) The primary reason I do not write often about Riley is simple. She knows how to read. I love Riley. Of course I do. I think she’s funny.…
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A New Standard
Growing up, my family lived down a mile long dirt driveway. We had a horde of dogs. (One with only three legs. Oh – but that’s another story.) The dogs let us know, loudly and with gusto, when a car was approaching the olde homestead. When we saw the vehicle pull in by the mailbox we had at least five minutes, maybe ten if it was Fred Iraggi driving his shiny red sports car. In those fleeting moments, a lot of action occurred behind closed doors. Mom ran around and scooped up mostly invisible dirt, we kids shut doors and followed commands and my dad made sure he was wearing…
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Letter Two
Dear Craig, Your list is cooler than any I have ever made. I love our new sofa. Thanks for your help. Sincerely, Lacey
