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“It’s the little things.”  Have you ever said this?  It’s a very ambiguous statement. “It’s the little things” can be what drives you crazy (which is more often my intention) or what matters most. I’ve been reading many stories recently where people are enjoying the little things more in this season. Some attribute it to having more time to take part in them. Others are merely noticing little things more in the reduction of noise.  Thing like:  Eating meals together as a family Enjoying nature for pleasure instead of sport Cooking/Baking Decluttering/Organizing Getting into shape or adopting healthier habits  Ok, well, some of those things aren’t as much little things that need appreciating as they are things we don’t make time for. But, people are doing more of these things.  There are also things you notice or appreciate because they’re gone or limited:  In-person church services Non-zoom staff meetings Going

Over the years, my husband and I have established a few traditions with our family. Some were cultivated from our favorite childhood traditions, and some were established through new routines with our children. A few of my favorite traditions are opening one gift on Christmas Eve, Friday night family nights with games, movies, popcorn, and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, and the birthday boy getting to choose dinner for their special day. Family traditions can be fun, give us something to look forward to, authenticate our experiences, and even bring us back “home” when we feel adrift. But what about religious traditions? Are they good? “Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, either by our message or by our letter.”   2Thessalonians 2:15 (HCSB) Tradition kept the Thessalonian Church anchored to Truth during a time of persecution and helped them stand firm.  But, be careful that keeping to tradition

Lauryn’s Legacy is a Non-profit that Supports Birth Parents who have placed children for adoption. Lauryn’s Legacy intends to provide lifelong counseling to anyone that chooses to place a child for adoption and provide resources to make a better life for themselves with higher education, counseling, interview training, life skills training, and financial support when necessary. This includes help with transportation, holiday assistance, clothing for the parents and the children, and bill pay.   How do we support those that have given so much? We have support group meetings for any mom that has placed a child for adoption. We provide emergency financial assistance We help with food insecurity Holiday assistance – gifts for the children they are parenting and food baskets   Listen to our Community Matters interview with Kerry Bocook: Find them online at: Facebook Webpage

November is National Adoption Month!! I have many friends with beautiful adoption stories. One in particular where you could see the Hand of God moving mountains to make it happen. It was awesome to witness. I also have friends whose adoptions stories are not so pretty and have even ended in loss and heartbreak. And then, for our family, we never even made it to the adoption phase.   The uncertainty of outcome can make it terrifying to even step into the arena of fostering and adoption, but the reality is that there is such a great need.  The number of children entering foster care each year is astounding. “On any given day, there are nearly 438,000 children in foster care in the United States.” (childrensrights). As of May 2020, there are 7,265 children in foster care in WV, over 10,000 in KY, and nearly 16,000 in OH. And, as much as each child

I was talking to Derek this morning, and we were discussing some boy stuff…we both have all sons…and he said, “We try to find teachable moments in the chaos.” (Derek Withrow) I thought, ya, know, that’s pretty much “raising boys” in a nutshell. Find teachable moments in the chaos…because chaos definitely finds you. But, it’s usually the all in good fun kind of chaos.  My husband and I have three boys, and we frequently get asked our method for raising boys. We typically respond with a shrug, and “We don’t know. We’re just blessed.” And we ARE blessed. All three are well adjusted, high functioning, Christian men with strong moral standards. And, we don’t just say we’re blessed to be humble or overtly Christian. We really don’t know. We didn’t set out following a particular technique or method. There were many days we knew for sure we were messing this

You know that moment when you are sure you’ve reached your peak? When one more thing has the potential to crash your world down around you and wreck you?  We usually call that our breaking point, but what if we chose to bend instead? What if we flexed with what’s happening to reach toward hope, survival, and joy in every circumstance? This is Bend. International Journalist and Author Beth Lueders takes us to the bending points of nine different moments. Moments that I personally do not know how they found the resolve to bend instead of break, but they did. We all have that capacity. We all have a bending point.  Beth defines a bending point like this: “In your life, a bending point is that experience where steadiness meets disruption.” “steadiness meets disruption.”  Goodness. Those are some resounding words. I have little doubt that we can all relate to