Category: Children

Leave Fear Behind...

10/2/2018

“Only thing we have to fear is fear itself” is a quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first presidential inaugural speech in 1933. Many leaders, parents, and teachers have said those words to inspire and encourage courageous behavior. There are a number of different reasons to fear but the fear of failure is the one that people struggle with on a regular basis. It is hard to accept that failure is a part of life and yet we can only appreciate success if we know first how to fail.

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A Day to Celebrate Women...

5/15/2018

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This week I have struggled to know what to write in celebration and honor of Mother’s Day. I am grateful for the mom that I brought me to life. She was loving, brave and strong. She raised 12 children of which I was the youngest and by the time I came around her life was considerably easier than when she became a mom. The 22-year age difference between my oldest brother and me seemed like a life-time difference. Mom did her best to give her kids attention even when she was worn out at the end of a long day. I am so very grateful that Jennie was my mom and that she loved me! Another woman who touch the lives of my daughters and me was my loving and strong mother-in-law. Like my mom, Ardella raised a boatload of children. She welcomed us into her family as if we had always been there. My daughters loved going to her home after school, eating her hotmilk cake, lefse and sugar cookies while hearing the latest “apartment building” gossip. We loved her dearly! Lastly, I have been so blessed with two beautiful, smart and loving daughters who call almost daily to share their daily life stories with me. Best of all, because of them, I get to hear the words, “I love you mom!” I am a fortunate woman.

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Roller Coaster Ride....

9/5/2017

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These past few weeks feel like I have survived an emotional roller coaster ride. The first big hill was the events that took place in Charlottesville. We saw some of the worst in us as our words and actions exploded in violence, anger, bitterness and even death. I think that most of us mourned not only the lost lives but also the reminder at how divided we are. My anxiousness has remained long after the crowds dispersed and I am still wondering how long it will be until the next riot or conflict of hate.

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Pay Attention...

6/27/2017

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When my girls were young, they would run into the house from school ready to share the events of their day with me. Sometimes, I was in the middle of some task and didn’t want to stop and listen. I am a very persistent and focused sort of person and it was hard for me to break away and give them my full attention. That of course was not fair to them or a good parenting practice on my part. When they got older and tried to do the same to me…well let’s just say that I managed to get their full attention so they could listen to what I had to say. Truly this attention deficit is not something I am proud of and have always regretted not being fully present with my girls. What more could I have learned about my girls, their friends and school events if they would have had my complete attention?

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Anyone Out There?...

6/14/2017

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It has been a real struggle for me to decide what to write this week. Lately, it feels like so many people are experiencing a lot of pain and anxiety. People are struggling with an unexpected cancer diagnosis, the death of a parent, a failing marriage, and a CAT scan that shows a brain tumor. This past weekend, a tornado ripped through the farming community leaving a swath of destruction in its wake. There is ongoing mourning and outrage for victims of bombings that kill fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. Many of us are feeling anxious about the political leaders worldwide who are trying to establish the governing power of their nations. All of this pain, fear and angst has touched my spirit and at times given me a feeling of hopelessness. Where is hope to be found in these feelings of doubt and helplessness?

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Thinking about Mom...

5/16/2017

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This is once again the time of year that we celebrate Mother’s Day, when children of all ages honor their mothers and show them how special she is to them. I will acknowledge this can also be a very painful time for women who have tried to conceive and have been unable to do so. There are many children who have been abandoned by their moms as well as others who have felt the pain and fear of abuse. Still others have lost a child they so dearly wanted. My heart aches for all of these women and pray for their peace and healing as they struggle with this holiday each year.

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Why Didn't You Answer Nonna?...

10/18/2016

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This past week I received a call from my daughter and my 2 grand girls but I was busy at work so I was not able to answer the phone. When I finished what I was doing, I called them back and was greeted by a 3-year-old Chloe asking why I didn’t pick up when they called. “Where were you Nonna?” After explaining that I had been busy she repeated the same question, as she wanted to understand why I didn’t answer the phone. Her mom, Sara, tried to explain that they would leave me a message and I would return their call later when I had the opportunity, however Chloe could not comprehend what voicemail was so she remained fixated on why I did not answer their call. She can be very persistent.

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Where Were You...

9/12/2016

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This is a week to remember, literally. It is the 15th anniversary of 9/11, which has been revered and remembered each year as a day the United States suffered greatly by an act of terrorism. Every year we see pictures of the World Trade Center towers on fire, and many people experience the memories of the terror, anger, fear, anxiety, sadness and most of all the shock that we felt during and after this tragedy. This past week was also a tragic week for a family, in Minnesota, because their missing 11 year-old son’s remains were found buried in a field less than 50 miles from his home. For almost 27 years, Jacob Wetterling’s, parents have fostered the hope that he would be found alive but this week they received the news no parent wants to get; Jacob was dead. It has been said that after September 11, America lost her innocence and would never be the same. It has also been said that after Jacob’s abduction the innocence of rural America was gone as well. Both of these events have had a lasting impact for all of us who live in the U.S.A.

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Boldly Defend the Littlest Among Us...

8/22/2016

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This week has been a tough week for me as a parent because of the horrific news of the ongoing violence in Aleppo Syria and domestic violence within families here in the United States. There are many more examples of violence and abuse but the two stories that caught my attention this week were especially poignant. The first is a little boy who was pulled out of his home after it has been bombed in Aleppo, Syria. His family survived but the video of the little boy sitting alone in the emergency vehicle just breaks my heart. You can see that he is in shock, as his expression never changes. The only movement is his hand reaching up to rub his eye and when he does he encounters the blood on his face. He then looks at his hand and sees the blood, which he tries to rub the blood off his hand onto the seat underneath him. He doesn’t cry out in pain or in fear, he just sits looking at the chaos going on around him. His face will haunt me for a long time.

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The Heat of the Flame…

5/16/2016

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“Hey girls, what is Pentecost?” Both of my daughters looked at me with a blank stare and said they had no idea. I looked at them as if they had grown two heads and asked, “What do you mean you don’t know what Pentecost is?” This made no sense to me. “How can you learn anything about the church in confirmation if you don’t know how the whole process started?” Sara, my oldest, would be getting confirmed in a few months and she had no knowledge of what this very important Christian day was about? How could that be? Well, at that moment the mom in me took over and made the decision to change that mistake right then and there. My girls were going to learn about Pentecost and much, much more if it took the rest of their lives. I bought notebooks, pens and each week gave them a scripture text to read and dissect with notes about what they were reading. My girls were going to know the Bible and the importance of Pentecost if it killed me. You can imagine how well that went over and how long it lasted. We laugh and joke about it now but I was dead serious at the time. I felt I had failed as a mother and as a Christian!

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Leave Fear Behind...

A Day to Celebrate Women...

Roller Coaster Ride....

Pay Attention...

Anyone Out There?...

Thinking about Mom...

Why Didn't You Answer Nonna?...

Where Were You...

Boldly Defend the Littlest Among Us...

The Heat of the Flame…

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