In July of last year my husband and I flew to Finland to visit my grandmother’s birthplace and to attend a family reunion. We had a nonstop flight on Finnair from Chicago to Helsinki Finland. Relatives met us at the airport. My grandmother’s travel to the United States was much…
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Crisis & Prayer
Today I am joining a community that is writing on the prompt: PAUSE Life has been on pause. No, that is not quite right. The nonessentials of life have been on pause. A week ago my grandson developed a critical illness and has been in a pediatric ICU. My daughter…
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Supporting Mothers: The Hike for Life
Over the years I have often participated in the Hike for Life on Mother’s Day weekend. It has been a family event, children included. In the 1990s we hiked along the shore of Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago. Yesterday my daughter reminded me of her first hike. It was the…
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When the Church Responds to Foster Care Needs
On most Fridays I join the challenge to write for five minutes on a prompt given by Kate Motaung. Visit this inspiring community by clicking here. Today’s prompt is: PROVIDE My children are grown and married. Currently we are taking care of my daughter’s children while she and her husband…
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Mental Illness Affects the Whole Family
Yesterday I began the task of going through my brother’s papers. After years in psychiatric hospitals and then group homes he passed away last June. I was his guardian. When I saw the prompt for Five Minute Friday, I was already there emotionally. Sadness and REGRET. When my Dad could…
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Musing About Family and Privilege
The snow has come as forecasted and the world outside my door is cold and white. It is a good day to stay inside. It is Five Minute Friday—the day that we take five minutes, or just a little more—to write on the prompt that Kate Motaung gives us. Today’s…
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Talking About Sex
On Thursday evenings I look forward to seeing the prompt that Kate Motaung has chosen for Five Minute Friday. I enjoy linking up with this community of writers and seeing where the word takes us. Today’s prompt is: INTENTIONAL I was born in the 1950s, before the b.c. pill became…
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Advent and the Family
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son . . . John 3:16 As I think about Christmas and God’s great gift to us, I find it meaningful that Jesus came to a family. He came as an infant to Mary and Joseph, to the family…
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A Thanksgiving Birthday
This year I cooked the turkey on Wednesday, a day before Thanksgiving. I scooped out the stuffing and put it in a casserole dish. I deboned the meat and placed it in a large baking dish. I put the bones in the freezer, planning to make broth sometime in…
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A Mouse in the House
It is Friday and the #FMF community is writing and posting their thoughts on the prompt given by our gracious leader, Kate Motaung. Today’s prompt is: EXCUSE You can visit the community and join in the fun by clicking here. The cold weather has arrived, and I have found evidence…