Dear Readers, Today's post comes from my husband, Kevin Johnson. Kevin is not just the love of my life, he's also a wonderful father to our girls. One of the things I admire so much about his parenting is his intentionality. He seizes every moment available to teach, to love, to bond, to fight for … Continue reading The Fight For Fatherhood
She snagged my phone from the bedside table while I was getting ready for the day. When I finally discovered her schemes, she was standing in my room, head bowed over my phone, adjusting the filter on a foot-selfie she had just snapped. Y'all, she's two. A few days later I went through my phone … Continue reading Those Little Feet (sacrifice & joy: the paradox of parenting)
What does love look like? Like water spilling onto the floor as Jesus dipped his hands into the basin and wiped the dirt from his disciples' calloused feet. Love is a messy business. I can see them - the twelve disciples, with their shifty eyes, sweating palms, nervous laughs - what in the world is … Continue reading What Does Love Look Like? (A Maundy Thursday Poem)
It feels like a shield of armor. Listen to me, and you'll be safe. It feels like a strong bodyguard. I'm here to protect you. It feels like a trustworthy friend. Stick with me, and you'll be fine. Let's face it, Fear is appealing. Addictive, maybe. We don't want to leave home without it. We … Continue reading Fear Is Not My Friend
I know we've been thick as thieves for many years, Shame, but enough is enough. I used to think that you were a harmless part of life, that you existed as a kind of check-and-balance to keep me in line. But no more. I see you, Shame. I know that you've been trying to squelch … Continue reading Shame, I’m Breaking-Up With You
Dear Heart, On your first birthday I could recall every minute of that difficult 30+ hour labor that brought you into the world. Now, on your fourth birthday, I only remember bits and pieces - it turns out the memories of pain have faded (just as other moms said they would). But one memory is … Continue reading My Promise to You: A Letter To My Daughter on Her 4th Birthday
As I've counted down the days to Christmas, I haven't been able to shake this big question: Why in the world did God choose to come to us as he did, as a newborn babe lying in a manger? Instead, what if God had come to us as a Herculean warrior? With shining armor and … Continue reading Just To Be With Us: A Mother’s Reflection on Christmas
Was no one there to rub her backwhen she got sick by the side of the road?Poor child, that Mary,fleeing the angel's earth-shattering words to Elizabeth's tranquil countryside.Did her traveling companions pretend not to noticeher queasiness and sleepy eyes and swelling gut,or did they whisper too loudly in her directionwith obvious glares of disdain?One can … Continue reading Naming the Blessing as a Blessing: A Poem of Mary and Elizabeth
One of my favorite pictures of my grandmother shows her sleeves rolled up and her hands covered in cookie dough. Making rum balls was one of her favorite Christmas traditions. A couple years before she died I made a date with her to make rum balls together. I learned why she loved these so dearly. … Continue reading The Sweet Side of Messy
I had to turn off the Christmas radio yesterday. It was just too jolly. It felt so artificial, so Aluminum-Charlie-Brown-Christmas-Tree. There are moments I find myself wanting to weep when the rest of the world is jolly. Today my friends should be celebrating their son’s first birthday, but instead they are grieving his death. Today … Continue reading Weeping When the World is Jolly
Rev. Laura Johnson 