Category: Life Stories
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To My Mom: I get it now.
Dear Mom, I’m laying on my bed hiding right now. I can hear the kids bickering as they get ready for bed, and a little voice calling for water and a song. I’m tired and weary to my bones. I will get up anyway. I will go kiss little foreheads and pray a prayer. I…
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Please stop telling Moms to enjoy every minute
Nothing makes me feel quite as overwhelmed as the words “enjoy every minute”. Like do you mean right now while my kid is spread eagle on the Target floor demanding a slushy? Do you mean when I make dinner and half of the family is crying because it looks weird? Do you mean when I…
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Family is “supposed” to look just like this.
We are a family who loves each other. We love each other in a messy, beautiful, broken, and together way. Sometimes that means making messes in the kitchen with spaghetti sauce finger prints on the glasses and stains on the tablecloth. Sometimes it means trying to scrape together tiny remnants of sanity for bedtime routines.…
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Dear Husband, When I forget to see you…
Dear Husband, Sometimes everything feels chaotic and fast, like a whirlwind we can’t stop. Time is flying by and I forget to really see you. When I stop and I notice, I see the etching of life, the processes that have made you older, stronger, and wiser. You are the same as when we married,…
wonderoak
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Dear Friend, Who is struggling…
Dear Friend, I sat across from you today. You are struggling, you are tired. As looked into her eyes I recognized the exhaustion and the fear. I recognized the question, the one that asks am I going to be okay? I remembered a dark season in my life. I remembered when I was so undone…
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Dear Kids, When I fail…
Dear kids, Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I see that you’ve grown over night. Your face is more defined, your eyes look older. A part of me is excited and in awe; I know you have so much ahead of you. Another part is scared because time is racing and I can’t slow…
wonderoak
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I’m Sorry I was Late (via Motherly)
I sat down and mapped out a life plan, and so far it looks like I will be late for approximately 15 more years. I’m so excited about my newest post for Motherly, because, FOR REALZZZ. Mornings before kids: 1. Get self ready. 2. Get self in car. 3. Go. Mornings now: 1. Wake up…
wonderoak
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Mom Solidarity in Target
Yesterday at Target I stood in line behind a Mom with two screaming kids. One clung to her leg while the other, a brand new baby, wailed from her arms. I am not used to being the one who is not the parent of the screaming child. This was uncharted territory.
wonderoak
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Dear Mama, In case you forgot the magic…
This weekend I got to experience magic. One of my best friends invited me and a few others to be there for the birth of her first baby. I’ve never seen birth – except my own. It was magic. Birth is magic. It is terrible, it is messy, and it is brilliant. After 24 hours of hard…
wonderoak
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What My Marriage Needed: Best Friends
When we first got married I was so excited to do EVERYTHING together. I couldn’t wait. I worked at a coffee shop and I told a friend of mine that I was even going to start working with Graham (as a self-employed window washer). “This is a terrible idea.” he said. I’m not sure if…
wonderoak