• General Thoughts,  Pop Culture

    Day 5: Countdown of my favorite love songs (non-romantic love)

    Welcome to day five of my ten-day series of Valentine’s Day-inspired blog posts. Yesterday, I wrote about my favorite love/hate songs. Today’s featured songs are about non-romantic love. This can be love for your friends, love for your parents, love for your children, or love for other family members. It’s a sweet and often unconditional love in its purest form. The first song on the list is my favorite song. I used to sing it to my daughter, Meredith, every night when she was a baby and toddler. It was the only one that calmed her down.

  • Essays,  General Thoughts

    Christmas, Truth, and Childhood Innocence

    Childhood innocence eventually becomes a thing of the past. If we’re lucky, it becomes fond memories and reason for nostalgic reflection when we’re adults or the need to keep that innocence alive in our children for as long as possible. Last week, my almost 10-year-old son asked me two innocence-ending questions. The first was about the existence of the tooth fairy. He doubted it and said he was pretty sure we put money under his pillow and took his tooth after he went to bed. Jonathan and I had already agreed to tell our kids the truth when they ask questions like that, so I told Drew the truth—that he…

  • Essays,  General Thoughts

    Being Thankful in Life

    Something I always stress to my children is to be thankful for what we have.  My family is not without struggles, but we are truly blessed. My husband and I have good jobs and enough money to provide for our family and pets. We have a lovely home where we are sheltered from bad weather, safe, and near beautiful scenery.  We work hard and appreciate what we have. Now comes the struggle: teaching humility, humbleness, and appreciation in our children, who have never gone without anything they’ve needed. I talk to my children about the charities and nonprofits to which we regularly donate. I explain the reasons why it is…