Category Archives: Family Life

Today I am Sad…But Not Without Hope

I am very sad. I know it will not always be so, but today, I am very sad. My mother died one month ago. I miss her. She lived with us the last 20 years of her life. I was … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Alzheimer's, Bible, Caregiving, Christian Living, Death and Dying, Faith, Family Life, Family Stories, Forgivness, Gifts, Grace, Grief, Hope, Jesus, Kindness, Legacy, Life, Life Transitions, Love, Mom, Parenting, Regrets, rest, Teaching, Trust in God's promises | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

When You Long to Escape

Some days I dream about escaping. I picture myself at the Hotel del Coronado (“the Del”) on the southern California coast for three days. By myself. The dream is most vivid seconds before I open the door for the first … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Alzheimer's, Being still before God, Bible, Caregiving, Christian Living, Confession, Dreams, facial, Faith, Family Life, Finding solutions, Frustrations, Gifts, Grace, Grief, Health and Beauty, Honor, Hope, Jesus, Kindness, Life Transitions, Love, massage, Mom, ocean, peace, Perserverance, Prayer, Remembering, rest, spa treatments, Trust in God's promises, When life seems too much | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Don’t Rain on My Parade…by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Lately, incidents long past, things I haven’t thought about for a half-century or longer, are popping into my memory. When I was in second grade, my mother signed me up for Brownies. Meetings were held in Borough Hall, a community … Continue reading

Posted in Celebrations, Doing Life Together, Family Life, Life, Memoir, Mom, Parenting, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Experiencing Grace

My mother speaks in scripts now. She bears the look of the very old. Clouded eyes and clouded mind. Alzheimer’s? The doctor said sometimes it’s impossible to know until an autopsy. I am my mother’s keeper. I see her daily … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Alzheimer's, Caregiving, Faith, Family Life, Grace, Kindness, Life Transitions, Mom, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Easter or “Eater” Service? by Betty Mason Arthurs

  Easter or “Eater” Sunday? by Betty Mason Arthurs One spring a few years ago my husband and I traveled to Flagstaff from our home in the Phoenix area to spend Easter weekend with our daughter and her family. For … Continue reading

Posted in Celebrations, Christian Living, Easter, Easter traditions, Family Life, Family Stories, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Ideal…by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

In response to The Daily Post prompt: Teen Age Idol When I first read this prompt, it sparked a memory from my childhood. When I was about eight years old, my mother asked me to identify an ideal—a person who epitomized characteristics … Continue reading

Posted in Doing Life Together, Family Life, Friendship, Ideals, Parenting, Practicing piano | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Married 50 years and Never a Dull Moment by Betty Mason Arthurs

  Married 50 Years and Never a Dull Moment by Betty Mason Arthurs Yes, we’ve been married 50 years in June. I believe a few words sums up our marriage: Never a dull moment and plenty of dumb ones. Our … Continue reading

Posted in Family Life, Family Stories, Greatest love ever, Humor, Life Transitions, Love, Romance, sweethearts, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

When Your Child is Hurt by Someone’s Words…by Linda Carlblom

(This post first appeared on Parenting With a Smile, Jan. 28, 2015) I remember my children crying from time to time because another child said something either to them or about them that hurt their feelings. Maybe it was simple … Continue reading

Posted in Bullies, Christian Living, Doing Life Together, Faith, Family Life, Finding solutions, Forgivness, Parenting, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

A Thankful Heart of a Heart of Praise by Donna Clark Goodrich

A Thankful Heart—or a Heart of Praise “…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything” (Ephesians 5:20 niv). “Develop an attitude of praise,” our pastor told us in his Sunday message. “It will change your life.” I decided to … Continue reading

Posted in Family Life, Life Transitions, Thanksgiving | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Memorial of Thanks

Last year at Thanksgiving time I blogged about Our Linen Thanksgiving Journal, a tradition that my family has kept for over a decade. There’s another thing we’ve done, not quite as regularly as writing on the tablecloth, but some family … Continue reading

Posted in Faith, Faithfulness, Family Life, Holiday, Legacy, Life, Remembering, Thanksgiving, traditions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments