"Remember the Ladies"

"Too often the war for independence is portrayed as an exclusively male event..." Carol Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence

Looking for an 

AWESOME patriotic read 

to complete your 4th of July celebration? 

You've gotta get a hold of "Revolutionary Mothers" by Carol Berkin. While there is much to be said about our great Founding Fathers (and they are super great, to be sure), it is not often that we devote much time or study to the amazing work of our Founding MOTHERS! 

"Somewhere, out there..."

"...someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight..." (An American Tale)

When I was a young girl, one of the youth leaders at my church shared that when she was growing up, she would always include a special prayer for her future husband in her daily prayers.  These weren't typical teenage prayers that he'd be a rich, young actor or anything like that.  Instead, she prayed daily for his safety and well-being. The idea really struck a chord with me...

Somewhere, out in the world was the young man who would become my husband.  Somewhere, he was navigating growing up, just as I was.  He was encountering the same hardships, struggles, heartbreaks, and pain that make up adolescence. Someday, we would have each other to brave the trials of life together but, until then, my future husband would struggle without me by his side.  It just didn't seem right.  If we were going to one day become each other's strongest advocates and biggest cheerleaders--why not start now?

"Dispute not, because ye see not..."

"...for ye receive no witness until AFTER the trial of your faith."

This last week was rough.  

ROUGH.

I've been battling a nasty cold that left me voiceless, restless, and feeling pretty darn awful.

I've fallen behind on so many things.

Plans I've been making keep falling through.

Honestly, for someone who normally finds it very easy to stay positive and find the good...

I'm having a hard time "putting on" a happy face.

And then, this morning, I got an answer to prayer that I wasn't looking for and did not want.