Laboring in Community
Recently my daughter-in-law invited me to be present during the labor and delivery of our first grandchild. Her mother, my son and I made quite a “labor team” as we worked together to rub her back, take walks, play games, get her food and encourage her with our words during those long almost 24 hours […]
[Not] Changing the World
It’s not a classroom I’m used to. I’m seated at a long table, chairs gathered around. No orderly desks lined up facing a whiteboard. Instead, we’re set up in the middle of a community space. Toys litter the room, a kitchen opens onto our space, glass walls reveal the gymnasium next door. I’m usually strict […]
Laboring with Littles
My cousin and I live over 14,000 miles apart and yet our lives are often similar- diapers, laundry more laundry, keeping the family fed, seeking to bring hope and healing to those we come in contact with. We both spent many of our formative years on African soil. It shaped us, grew us, taught us […]
Mama
It’s early morning and I hear the screen door of the back porch creak open. I instantly freeze mid spoonful of yogurt and go through my mental checklist: Did I remember to put my laundry out? Do we still have cornflakes for her breakfast? Did I pre-clean my room enough for her to clean in […]