START HERE (Actually, just keep reading)
Moms. Always on the hot seat.
When we bring up complex issues with friends, we risk being judged, even attacked.
Moms desperately need places to talk through challenges. Is that you? Looking for support and solutions?
It was me once.
For a number of years, I lived a life I didn’t plan.
A mom who unexpectedly had become a single parent.
Was it hard? Absolutely, it was. (But I didn’t let my face show it.)
Maintaining a home, a job, and small children, I was so fortunate to have the support of family. I can’t begin to count the times they showed up when things were difficult.
The bad dreams I had during those years were often expressions of my shortcomings, inadequacies, and even danger.
But they were good years, too. Cozy and close. Our little “snuggle squad.” We weren’t accomplishing anything remarkable. We were simply spending time together. Somehow, that became the glue that held us close. When I look back at those “just-us years” they seem tender and strong at the same time.
Many years later, our circumstances are very different. Our family has grown, our life is busy and sweet. And my dreams are good.
But more than that: My answered prayers are also too many to count.
I am living proof…
that God writes long stories.
And good ones.
You know the hard years, Mom.
They don’t all look the same.
Maybe you’re a single mom. Or a lonely one. Maybe you’re carrying financial worries. Maybe you’re simply trying to keep up with the endless responsibilities of raising a family.
But those aren’t always the hardest part.
The hardest part is carrying the weight of the outcome.
Every day you’re shaping hearts and habits. Guarding against damage and danger. Making a hundred decisions no one else will ever notice.
And somewhere deep inside, you know that one day the child you’ve been raising will step into adulthood. When that day comes, it can feel as though your own heart is stepping forward with them.
Your child probably won’t see it that way.
But you do.
That’s what’s hard.
Let’s start with what feels hardest…
Parenting
Feels Heavy
Encouragement for the days when motherhood feels overwhelming. (Every day.)
Encouragement, please
Helping Kids Grow
Real-life practical ideas for manners, character, learning, faith, and everyday growth.
Growing Good Kids
School Life
Get support for learning, homework, teachers, classrooms, and navigating school.
Good Schooling
Life Together
Traditions, activities, and the ordinary moments that become lasting memories.
Making Memories
Take a breath, mom.
I don’t know if you need to hear this, but it’s okay to step off that Christmas card and have a real life. One where clothes don’t match and everybody’s looking in different directions.
And if you thought each child would prepare you for the next, by now you’ve probably figured out it doesn’t happen that way.
You’re driving the bus that takes them to wisdom, and looking at the map you feel like maybe you haven’t even been there yourself.
How do I know? Everybody knows. Every mom. Be sure you wave at one today.
“There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.”
— Jill Churchill
Before you move on,
I hope you’ll remember this:
My promise is simple. I’ll never write to make you feel like you’re falling behind. Motherhood isn’t a race, and it isn’t a report card. It’s a long story, written one ordinary day at a time. Loving faithfully, listening carefully, laughing often, praying constantly—these quiet moments become the glue that holds a family together.
If today’s visit encouraged you, there’s plenty more to explore.
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