Mosaic Momma

It's pretty gritty. Grimy. Filthy, even. It's my silverware drawer. The crazy thing is that I have opened up this drawer about 20 times per day for literally months without seeing what was literally right in front of me.   I told you it was nasty. I'm embarrased that it took me one second of full clarity to see what I've allowed to happen in here...coffee grounds abound, crumbs that have fallen in from the counter above, and let's be honest...who knows what else lurked in there. Our eyes lie...even if we have 20/20 vision. And actually, it's maybe not our eyes that lie, but our brain that does. I'm not sure if it tries to protect us and potentially shield us from becoming overwhelmed by so much that needs attention and adjusting. After all, seeing each and everything in all its state of gory (or glory) could be too much for a small human brain to take. I don't know how or why it happens, but it does. That's why I could take out (and ...

This weekend, I'm grieving the earthly loss of a wonderful man of God (and just an all-around wonderful man), Larry Dimond , long-time missionary to Ireland and Zimbabwe, who passed from this world last night, Friday, October 21. I know that Heaven is his gain and that Larry is lost in the glory of being in God's presence. I know that. I rejoice in that part. But my heart aches for his beautiful wife, Ann, and his two adult children. Hannah and John Michael, and their spouses, Philip and Candace, and for his granddaughter, Haddie Ann. They are left behind (for now) to try to live a life without the man who was everything to their family. That hurts my heart. Yet, I know that Larry was not "everything," because their everything is really found in Jesus. I'm so grateful for this reality and that He can comfort them like no man can. All I can offer to them is my profound sorrow and my profound joy. It doesn't feel like it's enough. But ...

My children amuse me. They come up with the funniest things. Last night as I was walking down the hallway to my bedroom, I noticed a sign posted to my two daughters' door. They frequently tape things up there (pictures, signs, etc), but I could tell that this one was new. And it looked special. So I took a closer look and recognized my nine-year-old's writing. It made me chuckle as I pictured my nine and six year old girls hard at work in their bedrooms styling their Barbie dolls, listening to their iPods, trashing their room, etc. As I got busy doing whatever I did in my bedroom, I started wondering, I wonder why on earth she thought to write and post "Women at Work!" of all things. So I asked her. She got an embarrassed look on her face and said, " well, you know...cuz we do stuff in our room. We work ." Fair enough. And though I pressed for a little more detail as to why that particular phrase or the reason for using that wording (as oppo...

I've had a long-standing love affair with chocolate. However, my passion and appreciation for it soared to new heights when I lived in Belgium for 16 months after college. I was introduced to "real chocolate." Chocolate made without the wax we seem to use here for preservation. Chocolate with fresh ingredients -- no chemically inspired names. Chocolate so fresh that you had to eat in within a certain time frame or keep it in the refrigerator or it would spoil. Chocolate that was so decadent and luscious, you couldn't keep from moaning aloud when you consumed it. I soon became accustomed to picking out one delectable piece when I would go down to the Grand Place in Brussels with my friends and enjoying it completely. You only need one when it's literally the best piece of chocolate you've ever had. You enjoy and savor it. It completes you...sorry....I was drooling. One delightful Saturday, some of us went to a wonderful warm and charming restaurant/cafe...