My husband Joseph and I celebrated our thirteenth Valentine’s Day together this week. Out of nostalgia, I searched my computer for a picture from our first romantic holiday. Hand in hand, we had walked a small trail leading up to an outlook over the city. He had timed it perfectly, so the sun was setting… Continue reading How Can I Love You?
People hold strong opinions as to when it’s acceptable to start listening to Christmas music. For me (while I briefly turn on Bing Crosby’s Christmas album in July), I usually begin listening to my Christmas playlists towards the beginning of November—right around the time daylight savings ends. While the days grow shorter, darker, and colder,… Continue reading Repeat the Sounding Joy
Today, I finished the one-year Bible reading plan I started in January…of 2021. Yes, it has taken me one year, ten months, and eighteen days to complete 365 days of readings. In the past, I probably would have felt anything from mild embarrassment to deep self-condemnation over my inability to keep up with the reading… Continue reading He’s Where the Joy Is
Because she was too busy remembering— To call the adoption lawyer, the dentist, the friend All the names of her child’s pediatric specialists The extra flesh she feels around her waistband To buy the birthday card for her dad and wrap a present for her daughter The items on her… Continue reading Why she forgot to buy toilet paper
I pull into our church parking lot (miraculously on time) and park in the space marked “Preschoolers with One Parent.” I pull out the stroller and load it with two diaper bags, my purse, and a thermos of (already cold) coffee. I strategize which child to unbuckle first based on who is most likely to… Continue reading Not Created to be Alone
My jaw dropped when my four-year-old daughter willingly donned her puddle jumper and sauntered into the water without protest. Holding onto her daddy’s hand, she laughed as the foaming cold waves slapped against her thighs. She yelled for them to go deeper, and eventually I could only make out the tops of their goldens heads.… Continue reading Slow Growth Through Ordinary Moments
I’m always uncertain when it comes to speaking out about current events, but as I gaze into the face of my sweet newborn daughter, it’s unfathomable to me that if she had been born in many other states, she might not be a part of our family. This post is my humble attempt to honor… Continue reading How can both sides support women?
A few weeks ago, I spent two and a half hours chatting with three different Apple support staff. I read no less than a dozen how-to articles from various tech websites. I even called my PC-loving husband with a last-ditch request for help. The first question was always the same: “Have you tried restarting it?”… Continue reading Have You Tried Restarting It?
Seven months have passed since our last adoption update, and we have seen eighteen info summaries and shown our profile nine times. While those may seem like just numbers, each represents another time God has answered our longing for another child with “not yet.” We ask that you continue to pray for us, specifically, that… Continue reading April 2022 Adoption Update
When my daughter turned two, she began crafting stages for herself. Any rectangular surface worked—the fireplace hearth, an overturned toy container, even shelf liner pulled from a kitchen drawer. She would grab a makeshift microphone (a flashlight, a princess wand, or a marker), center herself upon the stage, and take a deep breath before belting… Continue reading My Daughter’s Playlist
Bethany Broderick 