Praises of a Wife and Mommy

 Monday came quickly, and with it my follow-up appointment at the orthopedic specialist. Just like in the ER, they had me lay on my stomach and performed the test to check my Achilles tendon. The doctor came in, looked at me, and said the words I knew were coming but still didn’t want to hear: “You will need surgery to repair this. Even if we don’t get an MRI, we can schedule surgery for Thursday.” They removed the splint from the ER and fitted me with a boot, crutches, and prescriptions for pain. From there, we headed straight to the hospital for pre-surgery testing—a blood draw and an EKG to make sure I could safely undergo the procedure. It felt like a blur of appointments, paperwork, and waiting rooms. After that, we made what would be one of many pharmacy runs. They sure prescribe a lot of medicine for this kind of injury and surgery. By the time it was all done, my husband and I decided to stop for lunch. Sitting across from each other, we couldn’t help but feel both tired ...

August 16, 2025 – A Night to Remember It was a night filled with energy, joy, and worship. I had no idea that a moment of dancing would turn into a moment that would shape the next several months of my life. We were dancing to "Church Clap" —a song that always brings so much fun and excitement. I was fully in the moment, clapping and moving with the beat, when suddenly I felt a sharp, intense pain in my ankle. It was so jarring, I honestly thought someone had kicked or stomped on me from behind. The pain stopped me in my tracks. Trying to stay calm, I carefully made my way to a chair. Panic started to set in as I realized I couldn’t put any weight on my right leg and that it felt strange. Deep down, I knew something was seriously wrong. I sat there, overwhelmed and confused, when I saw my husband come over. He knelt by my foot, looked up at me, and said, “It’s going to be okay.” Then he began to pray.  He is a physical trainer and knows the body well... I could see in his...

  Pexels - CCO Licence Every parent dreams of raising a reader - the kind of kid who gets lost in a book on a rainy afternoon, begs for “just one more chapter” at bedtime, and chooses the library over the toy aisle. But let’s be honest: in the age of tablets, video games, and YouTube shorts, books don’t always stand a chance. So how do you help your child fall in love with reading, rather than see it as just another bit of homework? Here are some practical, playful ways to spark (and keep) that reading flame alive. Start Early, But Keep It Fun Toddlers may not care about plot twists or character development, but they do love rhythm, rhyme, and colorful illustrations. The earlier you make books part of their daily routine, the more natural reading will feel later on. Storytime shouldn’t be a chore, it should feel like a treat, filled with silly voices, giggles, and maybe even a tickle or two when the Big Bad Wolf huffs and puffs. Let Them Choose Yes, you’d love your child to gravita...

  Image credit Just think back for a second. How many funerals have you been to where everything looked, sounded, and felt exactly the same? Maybe that sounds a tad harsh, especially if you’re in the middle of grieving, but just try and reflect for just a moment. Did you see the same flowers, same hymns, and maybe even the same slideshow with “Amazing Grace” or some of those other generic funeral songs on loop? Yeah, it can start to feel less like a celebration of a unique life and more like a script that’s been followed a hundred times before. Every single person is unique; their impact on people's lives was unique too, and shouldn’t their funeral be the same? Thankfully, it’s slowly starting to change. And funerals today are starting to get out of this same mold. They can be colorful, heartfelt, funny, or even downright quirky. But what’s most important is that a can actually reflect the person who’s being remembered instead of blending into every other service people have sat ...