CAREFULLY CARELESS

The Book War Horse was my last read while teaching my younger kids about the horrors of World War 1. There is a scene where Joey, the narrating horse, runs aimlessly through No Man's Land stuck between gunfire, barbed wire, and endless disorienting smoke. I always tear up while reading it aloud. Yet No Man's Land was not just a symbol of the war's brutal stalemate and immense casualties, but also occasionally the site of spontaneous Christmas Truces like the one portrayed in

It happened gradually. I left my parents house for a dorm that I made has homey as possible. Then I made an apartment as cozy as I could with some friends. Soon I left my apartment and moved into my first home with my husband. I naturally became a homemaker even with a fulltime job. I love making a place a home. I brought all my babies into that first home, which I nested in for almost a decade. After that, we felt a call to leave that home, so we rented a house not far away

We are all waiting on something. If we aren't then we've arrived at a place so overtly comfortable that it sedates us into non-committal lethargy. Comfort grows like a fungus, mold or mushrooms thriving in damp, stagnant conditions, which can lead from mild dissatisfaction to deeper issues like depression or delinquency if left unchecked. To avoid such dissatisfaction, we put something on our mental or physical calendar, which will keep us waiting in anticipation... waiting

It's no secret that my youngest son HATES leftovers, but since I hate wasting food, we have leftover night at least once a week (to his great chagrin). Strangely though I don't consider throwing away Halloween candy a waste. Does anyone? If it ruins our guts or wastes our space, I'm liable to throw it away immediately. I justify calling one thing a "leftover" and another thing "waste" without feeling any disparity. When you realize how brief and fragile your life is, when you

We have been contemplating going overseas for as little as a month and as much as an entire year because we still don't know where God is calling us to live after traveling around North America for two years (and then some). We also want to soak up our probable final year of full-time traveling. Life is too short to wait until you're retired. You may never get there. So if you can go, you should go. However, we've had unexpected circumstances keep us in our old stomping groun

There's enough full-time RV families to answer all your questions of how? why? where? etc. We, personally, watched Keep Your Daydream on Youtube for years before moving to the road. However, if you're not a full-timer, it's easy to romanticize or scrutinize the mobile lifestyle. Every time I meet someone on the road and tell them I live in an RV with my husband and four boys, they say, "Wow, I have a million questions." So, I figured I'd answer the top 10 for those who are s

I have always had a strong desire to identify or relate with other people. I want everyone to feel comfortable. I want everyone to feel at home around me. I want to "become all things to all people that I might win a few" (1 Cor. 9:22) And let's face it, I feel less abnormal when people relate to me too. Yet this strong desire can be problematic. I know that I'm easily stirred to lose myself if I am not rooted in reality. I can desire identification to the point that I resent

"I've already seen glaciers. I've already seen waterfalls. Not another mountain!" After the incredible summer in Hawaii, Alaska and...

If you don't catch it early, it could spread. After a recent doctor's appointment that didn't go routinely, I found myself projecting...

We have met so many families who seem to be utilizing "camping" as glue for their family. I would have assumed that the opposite was...

I remember not wanting to leave my boys when they "needed" me for their physical comfort. Now I physically need a break from them for my...

My favorite part of RV life is also my least favorite part---Nothing is hidden. You can’t hide from the people around you. No going to...

I have a son who LOVES all food. Having once been fed solely through a G-tube, he appreciates eating more than my other kids. When a...

When we took surfing lessons in Oahu, we rode teeny tiny waves, but even in the shallow reef, the instructors would have us "wait" for...

The art of perfectionism--a sneaky sense that we are making the best moment when we are actually unhappy with the moment we have. Culture...

Do you know that feeling? You have a big event tomorrow that's been on the calendar for months. Or maybe you signed up to lead something...

According to Our World Data, if you are a keen conversationalist, on average you will talk to three new people each day. Then by the time...

I've ALWAYS wanted to visit Hawaii, but when I boarded a plane to Oahu for the first time the strangest anxiety swept over me. That's the...

I remember going back and forth on highway 400 every day in the spring of 2015. Every morning and every evening, back and forth in my...

If you have a focus, a goal, or a mission and someone gets in the way, you're likely to be annoyed or extremely angry by the hindrance....