As I ask Jesus how He would want to encourage these women in our midst, I am reminded of the age-old advice that we hear from airline flight attendants. “Be sure to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.” Indeed, I recall the Biblical stories about how Jesus would wake early in the morning to pray in solitude before setting out to heal the sick and share the Gospel. He was tending to His own needs so that He could meet the needs of people around Him ..read more

She began to share with me what Mom to Mom had meant to her that year, how it had helped in parenting her daughter. Then she paused. “But the biggest thing I learned, Linda—by far the most important—was how much God loves me. Really loves me. Even me, with all my struggles and challenges.” She paused, and then continued. “And you know, Linda, when you get that—really get that—it changes everything ..read more

It was only day two of our honeymoon and we were already having an argument that brought me to tears. We had been poking around a jewelry shop in a picturesque town and I remarked that I didn’t see any jewelry that I liked because the pieces looked coarse and unrefined. Once we left the shop, my new husband informed me that I had been rude to the saleslady because I criticized her merchandise. I thought I was just expressing an opinion. I wailed, “You care more about the feelings of that shopkeeper than you do about mine ..read more

I am writing to tell you all, my Mom to Mom friends and sisters, that this girl is really sad right now. Sadder than I have ever been. The reason (as summarized by our son Lars in a text to the family on the night of November 14, 2021) is this ..read more

But God has been speaking to me about expectations lately and instead of lowering my expectations, the Spirit has been encouraging me to my expectations – about what He can do ..read more

Oh, no! I realized that the in-person church service our family planned to attend this past Sunday morning would be starting in ten minutes and we were still in our pajamas, enjoying a leisurely family breakfast. I had forgotten that the church service meeting time was one hour earlier than the online church service that we had been accustomed to attending during the pandemic. My brain had not yet adjusted to our new in-person schedule ..read more

We know that many of you did not get to finish your Mom to Mom meetings in person this past year because of the pandemic. Several of the Mom to Mom board members are part of local MTM groups that also had to make a swift transition to virtual Mom to Mom meetings ..read more

Sometimes our kids say it best. Recently our 5-year-old grandson Lachteen was asked at family prayers how his family could pray for him. His reply: “Just pray that this year will get over really fast.” In actual fact, Lachteen is having a pretty good year; the context of his answer was the immediate weather in Ireland, i.e., rain inhibiting his outdoor play. But yes, Lachteen, we know the feeling ..read more

I wasn’t sure what to make of the odd Valentine gift I received from my husband. I tried to hide my confusion and disappointment as I pulled out a cone-shaped piece of sports equipment. A wind sock, perhaps? I think my facial expression must have betrayed my true feeling because he quickly said, “You have to read the card ..read more

I get really excited about spring because it is so full of . And I am reminded that one of our greatest privileges as moms is to help our kids grow into their potential. But how do we do that ..read more