By Karilee Aoki Recently it was Mother’s Day, and I had a chance to reflect on what it means to be a mother. I had to ask myself, “What is it that makes the role of a mom so special? And what was God's thought process and original design in creating mothers and...
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BY FAMILIES, FOR FAMILIESParents
The seeds of Mother’s Day were planted during the Civil War
by Dennis Jamison Mother’s Day in the United States, and in several nations throughout the world, is traditionally celebrated on the second Sunday of May, which primarily involves honoring all mothers and remembering that they freely offer themselves to their children...
Life Lesson from a 9-Month-Old
The following story is a reflection from a mother of a 9-month-old. Watching her son grow, she has realized that she grows because of how he lives – always pushing his limits, always learning, not afraid of challenges and pain, and never giving up. “While we try to...
Teaching Character: Think About the Future to Adjust in the Present
My son is almost nine. He loves to make things. Cardboard boxes, scraps of cloth or wood, and pieces of anything and everything are sources of imagination and delight for him. I’ve had to covertly throw out many, many things, or else our house would have likely become...
Keep Doors Open
Susan’s son is now grown. In fact, they are really close. They even work together. But Susan knows, a child’s happiness is not something that comes easily. It is something that a mother has to keep fighting for. Susan’s son has special learning needs. He was often...
Home for Lunch
“Okay, boys, it’s safe to cross now.” Ginny was the crossing guard at the busy intersection next to Kittredge Elementary School. She had blown her whistle, and the cars had all stopped. In the morning and afternoon, she served hundreds of small children walking to...
With Me
By T.K. I was speaking to my son and I recounted with him the fact that he was in my stomach for a long time. Nine months! But then I realized that - in some sense - the potential of him had been with me basically my entire life. He giggled when I said that - in a...
My Son and His Jacket
By Maruko Breland My two-year-old son has an enemy. It’s his jacket. Every time I ask him to put it on before going outside, he fights me, twisting and turning in every way to resist. "No jacket! No jacket!" he yells. There was a particular day when a lot was going...
Studying God’s Loving Design: Caterpillars
If you do a Google search for “caterpillar to moth”, there are nearly 150,000 videos. And there are almost half a million videos of caterpillars turning into butterflies! This morning, I watched one of these with two of my kids. As we watched, I was reminded of the...