I hated night time as a kid, and I don’t like it much now. There’s something about the dark that brings all of the scary things out.Sometimes I couldn’t put a name or face to my fear - it was just there, hanging over me in the dark. I had a hard time turning off… Continue reading Peace has a name.
Sometimes, I look at you and can’t make sense of how much time has already passed… even though nothing seemed to really change day by day. I see you now while I still see you then, and I’m starting to see who you are becoming. The bigger you get, the more you start to pull… Continue reading Dear son…
I keep hearing it - “I can’t wait for things to go back to normal.” “When things are normal again...” What “normal” is everyone is longing for? Seeing family and celebrating holidays together. Having birthday parties and baby showers and weddings. Worshipping in packed sanctuaries together. Having the freedom to take the kids to the… Continue reading When things go back to normal.
It’s amazing how such a short phase of life can feel like your whole life. I’ve been alive for 34 years now. That sounds like a long time (to me). I’ve only been a mom for 4 of those years (a short time, relatively speaking). Yet those 4 years define who I am more than… Continue reading They won’t remember, but I will.
I'm sitting across the kitchen table from my grandma. "Do you know who I am," I ask her. She smiles, with no recognition in her eyes. "No... you're a cute young girl, I know that!" My dad chimes in, "this is your granddaughter, Kristen. I'm your son, Jimmy." She shakes her head, confused. "Who? What… Continue reading Dementia took you from us.
Shiloh, I pray that you enjoy being part of our family as much as we will enjoy adding you to it. Spencer, I pray that you love every second of being a big brother and that you never forget that you were our first. You made us so happy that we decided to have another… Continue reading A prayer for my children.
I can't believe how fast this summer is going and how fast my pregnancy has gone this time. Granted, I have a busy job and a VERY busy toddler helping me pass the time. I'm 33 weeks today. I had a growth check for baby this morning and she's weighing in around 4.5 pounds and… Continue reading Home stretch!
This morning, Spencer was sleeping all snuggled up on my shoulder and I was about to get up and get ready for work. I was watching him for a minute and wondering how much longer he's going to want to snuggle up with his mom... and also wondering how we're going to make this work… Continue reading I’ll always be your safe place.
When I was 3 1/2 (the age my son is now), my mom passed away from cancer. My dad was 28 years old and not only lost his wife, but was now a single parent to a toddler and a 10-month-old baby. I have the unique experience of being a woman who was raised by… Continue reading Thank you, Dad.
I often heard the phrase "terrible twos." When my son turned two, I heard over and over again how interesting and frustrating my life was about to be. To be honest, I thought age 2 was a breeze. I wondered if I might be some lucky parent whose child would skip the terrible two phase,… Continue reading Three-nager.
Kristen Stewart, Writer 