It’s the season! Your head is spinning with preparations: shopping, cooking, invitations, fundraisers, junk mail, holiday cards and parties. And this is above and beyond the regular stuff on your plate- sports teams, concerts, work deadlines, school projects. And there’s the unexpected- a child’s broken leg, another ear infection, a friend in crisis. For many […]
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One of the biggest challenges in parenting is sibling rivalry. What do squabbling brothers or sisters need? What do playground disputes need? Who is often called when adults need help solving problems? Or businesses or churches or spouses? From sophisticated titles like lawyers and judges to beleaguered moms and dads, all of us need a […]
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Social media is happily dispensing enthusiasm, emotion and eager anticipation for the holiday season. The vivid descriptions and images of fireplaces and cocoa, plaids and sequins, lights and laughter feel like an attempt to scatter glitter through every screen into my lap. Be warm, be filled, be happy. Let the dazzling delights of the season […]
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One thing I picked up from my Christmases in Uganda: All the glitter and hype of Christmas does have a purpose beyond the secular. God created seven feasts for the Old Testament Hebrews, which clues me in; these occurred in the same seasons. Maybe the Israelites knew Hadassah made the best matzoh, or Great-Aunt Hephzibah […]
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Dear Barbara, How should we handle giving gifts to our children? I want them to have some presents they want, but I don’t want to overindulge them. Are gifts appropriate? I feel pressure to forego gifts altogether and spend Christmas morning serving at the soup kitchen instead. I equally feel the pressure to buy them the […]
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