We love this time of year, right? It’s our season for vacations, road trips, and escaping the norm of everyday living and the toil of work.

My mom has a big heart. Most mothers do. Today, as we find ourselves passing Amish buggy signs near Lancaster, Ohio, I am reminded of a childhood memory that started simply because my mother was kind. 

Have you ever noticed how quickly the sky can change when a storm is coming? Clouds darken. The leaves on the trees are upturned revealing their light green underside. The air is heavy.

We have an old house. A very old house. I’m still working on finding out exactly how old. Grandma always told us that the main house was built in 1825.

We all experience transition. Sometimes, we don’t choose change, it just happens. But at other times, it is self-imposed. That’s what happened to us at the farmhouse. 

Where are your memories? Our sense of recall and remembrance is sparked by our senses.

Are you a reader? One of those avid book lovers who can’t devour enough books? My husband, Bryce, is like that. He finishes books like most people go through a pint of ice cream.

I hate paneling. I've always hated it. Funny thing is, my husband for years has loved a variety of paneling - from the station wagon he drove in the 1990's with paneling down the side to the real wood paneling in our kitchen.

Little girls love to dance. And we love to immortalize these moments. Cue the sound of music soundtrack - “I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly.”

A couple years ago, for the first time, I remember reading about the history of Mother’s Day in America. It surprised me.

Is it raining in your house? Yes, you read that correctly. Is it raining IN your house? 

Have you lost your community? That place of shared knowledge and understanding. A place of collaboration and challenges. A space where you understand others and they understand you.

Have you ever prepared for a big move - one of those “pack up the entire house” moves? There are very few moments in life that compare to the chaos that ensues during a move.

That was frozen for how long?!? Did you ever pull something out of the freezer and ask yourself, “How old is this?” Then find yourself answering, “It can’t be that old, right? I’ll just eat it anyway.”

As a follower of Jesus headed into Palm Sunday, my family and I reflect on Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The crowd claimed Him as king even though they didn’t fully understand what that meant. They anticipated Him coming to Jerusalem and were surprised to see their definition of king redefined.

Kids are great at pretend play! They can be anything they want anytime. One moment we’re saved by Batman, and another moment we are being chased by a tyrannosaurus.

Circumstances within his first 25 years of life should have devastated him. He lost his father at a young age and had a childhood with little resources.

The flood of ‘72 hit Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 4 months after I was born. That year was a crazy year for my parents with several life changing events.

It’s been an exhausting couple of weeks for us on the farm with all the changes and emotions that come when someone passes away. I don’t know about you but I could use a little levity, so I’d like to tell you one of our family’s favorite stories. 

I could have been Valentino! My birth missed Valentine’s Day by less than two hours. My parents made a deal. If I was born on Valentine’s Day, my dad would get to name me.