The image of my sister waiting in anger, bitterness and bewilderment will always haunt me as she was wheeled into the operating room for a life altering surgery. Stage four breast cancer at age twenty-seven. Never married. No kids. A double mastectomy eleven days after being diagnosed; three weeks later a round of intense chemotherapy treatments began stripping my sister of all that identifies the female body. Radiation would also take place to attack the aggressive, BRCA 2 positive gene …
Reclaimed And Whole
Using Company Profits to Bless Others
Recently, my husband and I had the opportunity to visit Phnon Penh, Cambodia. This was Tim's fourth trip visiting local churches and schools in the capitol city of 1.5 million people, as his company supports and sends funds to organizations on the ground. Being this was my first time in Cambodia, I found myself absorbing everything that I saw; the colors of the fresh fruit, the shades of brown from the dirt roads and bland colored cement structures, the stories told in the eyes of all the young …
Choosing to Forgive: Setting the Re-Do Button
When my kids are in trouble and have to say they're sorry to the injured or hurt party, I always make them say, "Please forgive me for..." Most of the time they follow through properly, but sometimes, especially with the youngest, it's met with puppy eyes, smiles, hugs and kisses for the recently bitten sibling. It seems innocent, but there is a process to an apology that starts at a young age and only gains more genuineness as they grow. Usually when a timeout or spanking is about to occur the …
The Supportive Spouse
Picture this... The kids woke up early making nap time a must for the little ones. The breakfast menu is limited due to the extreme need to grocery shop as well as the piling high of dirty clothes in the hamper making finding a matching outfit entertaining. The floors look no different from outside and the heat from the summer days have turned pleasant kids into cranky, sweaty, exhausted little humans who have no time to assist with house chores. You never had a chance to take a shower …
A Successful Failure
“Honey, we need to sell the salon...” Those words were incredibly hard to hear, yet alone accept, as together my husband and I had owned and operated a seven chair full service salon which employed 14 young women at one time. It was never my dream to own a business and I certainly wasn’t trained to do the job well. This journey begun when my husband came home and told me I needed my own salon, only after being a stylist for two years, and said it was time that we buy one. In less than a month, …
Spiritual FitBit
I was recently gifted a Fitbit which has become the new crave these days for those active and tracking their personal exercise levels. It has taken me a little while to figure out the apps and programs to accurately use the new device, but overall, it's been pretty easy to use this new toy. I find it very telling to view my steps at the end of the day. Some days are filled with lots of table teaching as I home school the kids and others busy with outside play or gym classes that keep me moving …