There was a prayer that the priest who presided over our wedding said when my husband and I were standing at the altar — May you live to see your children’s children. I hear that prayer at many of the weddings I attend, and I always pray that the newly married couple will have the […]

“Please don’t let me die, let me raise my own children.” Why are my arms and legs shaking? Where’s my baby? What’s happening? I will never forget the words my nurse kept repeating as I asked those questions, “We’re doing everything we can for you.” It was 5 in the morning, and I had delivered […]

I made homemade cards for her out of scraps of paper. I picked dandelions from our yard and gave them to her. I made toast and spread jelly on it for her so that she could have breakfast in bed. I am a gift giver and those were some of the ways that I showed […]

Last week, my daughter Christine called me on the phone. When I answered, I heard the sweet little voice of her two-year-old son, “Hiiiiiiiiii.” Whenever Christine calls, her son Will insists on being included in the conversation. He listens to what we are saying, and then it’s his turn to talk. He always tells me […]

There was a story that I heard years ago about a golfer, Jimmy, who went golfing with his friend Ned. After the trip, a friend of his asked him how the golf trip was. Jimmy replied, “Well it was going great, but at the fourth hole, Ned stopped, grabbed his chest, dropped to the ground […]

He starts my car to warm it up and then he shovels the snow off my windshield. He drives my car to the gas station to fill the tires with air. It took many years of marriage before I appreciated being loved in this way by my husband. I was the “chick flick” kind of […]

Are they asleep yet? Are they still awake? When my children were babies and I would lay them down for a nap, I would keep the door ajar because if the door was closed, I never knew if the kids were asleep or awake until I actually heard them cry or talk. Most parents have […]