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)
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
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
When my grandfather died my mom and her siblings sat us cousins down and instructed us to write down one item we would like to have from our grandparents' house to remember them by. I didn't even have to think about it. I instantly scribbled “Copper Pot” and that is how it came to live … Continue reading The Memories We Hold
As a kid I was fascinated by anthills. I would hunker down by a busy one and watch the ants go marching one by one, hurrying with their load so they can deposit it only to turn around and do it all over again. I wondered what it would be like to be part of … Continue reading In Search of a Cure for “Busy”
I found it sitting by my desk, a bright gift bag with crisp white tissue paper. A belated baby shower gift, I assumed. So I peeked in the bag and searched for a card or a tag or any sort of identification. There was none to be found. I took out the tissue paper and … Continue reading Thank You, Kind Stranger
Rev. Laura Johnson 