life. faithful.

So, I did something hard yesterday--I visited the Pea Ridge Battlefield. from encyclopediaofarkansas.net That may not sound hard to you, but for me it made my heart ache. Not just for the soldiers who fought and died on those grounds, though that in itself was enough to make my heart hurt. No, it was hard for a whole other reason. You see, my brother was a Civil War scholar. He studied the Civil War--reading books, taking part in reenactments, watching movies--basically anything he could get his hands on. I remember going to the Pea Ridge Battlefield when we were little. I remember going to reenactments, where Michael was adamant that his hardtack be authentic, where his haversack was hand-sewn, and where everyone was thrilled when someone mashed a finger in the cannon because that meant they could have real blood on their bandages. Yeah, I know. Craziness. I'm in Bentonville right now, wrapping up the last of my 3 weeks of teacher training. I spent the first 2 weeks ...

I want you to know, my parenting this last week or so has been the best it's been probably since my sweet baby girl was born 7.5 years ago. I haven't yelled at either kid, lost my temper over the little stuff, been impatient, zoned out when they told another long story, or pretended to listen. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that my kids aren't here right now. They're spending this part of the summer in Arkansas, going back and forth between grandparents' houses and having a blast spending a month on the farms. I miss them and I can't wait for them to get back--my house is entirely too quiet--but I know one thing for sure: it won't take long for me to lose my temper, no matter how hard I try not to. This parenting thing is hard. Why isn't that something they talk about in those "what to expect" books? It's filled with stress and anxiety and messes and endless loads of laundry and sinks full of dirty dishes and te...

I don't usually post anything on Sunday, but this is a last minute reminder I should have posted much sooner. I let it slip my mind, though, so I wanted to make sure I invited you all t to join me this summer. No, I'm not taking us all to a beach house somewhere (I wish I could!) or suggesting we get together around a campfire in my parents' field (although that would be fun, too). This is actually much easier to arrange :) A friend of mine was thinking about how easy it is to get busy in the summer and let things slide, sometimes without even realizing it's happening. One of those things is devotionals, so Jill decided to do something about it. She invited some of us to join with her in providing daily Bible reading and devotionals, delivered straight to your inbox. Looking at what all is on the lineup, I'm pretty sure you won't get bored. There's going to be a little bit of everything, really, with everything from a study of Mark to the life of...