Piñatas are great fun, but only if they actually contain candy. We may be drawn in by the bright colors that promise a good time, but it’s quite a disappointment if, after a few whacks, it’s revealed that there’s actually nothing inside. Whomp whomp. The thing that makes a piñata so irresistible is what’s inside. The […]

Have you ever had one of those days when you’re angry at everything and nothing in particular? I had one recently. I went for a walk in an attempt to burn off my anxiety. Two laps around a spacious field of wildflowers near my home released some endorphins, but didn’t make a dent in my […]

I just finished reading the final Harry Potter book to my kids. We are now champing at the bit, excited to watch the final two movies. As we were reading through the series, I suspected that things would turn out well for Harry in the end. Even though I was fairly certain of a happy ending, I […]

Every so often in my life, things are going along swimmingly. I know where I’m going, the path is clear, progress is being made. Everything makes sense and the future is bright. I like when life is like that. But then, seemingly overnight, everything goes dry. Sand has obscured my path, and I feel like […]

Grace is a tricky thing. It’s something we all need but are loathe to accept. Although we perhaps aren’t as generous with it as we could be, we’d still much rather give it than receive it.  My son Ben is seven. He has been writing books, typing pages on the computer and printing them out, […]

After months of anticipation about our family’s first trip to Mexico and an escape from the Wisconsin winter, the weather report turned foreboding. All eight days were calling for rain. Kim and I were crushed. Our family had finally recovered from a three-week battle with the flu over the holidays, and we were looking forward […]

I’ve heard that God always answers prayers. Sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes, he says yes in ways that seem like a no. During a family vacation in the Pacific Northwest, one of the things I wanted to see was an orca. We heard stories of a mama and her baby being spotted in Puget […]

When we were children, creativity was a regular part of life, whether it led to building a fort out of blocks, fashioning a fantasy world with our imagination, or coloring made-up creatures with our crayons. We are all still creative. Sometimes we don’t think we are, and sometimes we don’t use our creativity as much […]

In her first two-plus years of life, my daughter Lucy has only been sick a few times. For that, Kim and I count our blessings, as there is nothing more miserable and sad and pathetic than a sick little kid. In those times when she is suffering, I’d happily take on her sickness and carry […]