Mosaic Momma

...of taking my children to see the musical production of Les Miserables. Our kids love music. They have been immersed in it all of their lives. All genres. All through the days, weeks, months and years of their youthful existence. My oldest son was such a fan of Phantom of the Opera , that he would sit mesmerized in front of our laptop watching the iTunes Visualizer across the screen as the soundtrack played. He was two. Our kids also love their parent's "dates" and always want to know where we go and what we do while we are out. Our last date was to see the movie version of Les Miserables . When we got back, they wanted to know all about it, and when they could see and hear it. So, we hopped on the computer and showed them some photos from the movie explaining the main cast of characters and the story line. This led to playing the soundtrack on Spotify for many days on end, buying an abridged version of Victor Hugo's novel, and even rent...

I had the privilege of attending a conference this past weekend called Current for Women . The premise of the entire event was to create an intimate atmosphere that would provide a safe and dedicated place to worship and hear from God. They made this happen by putting a lot of effort into the lighting, the music, and highlighting all the senses. I have been looking forward to this conference for many months. My beautifully gifted friend, Sarah, has been an integral part of the ministry team for these events. She is a wonderful and talented artist and she spends the entire time painting a huge masterpiece that is divinely-inspired. She has been raving about Current for a few years and has encouraged me to come. So, I already had an idea of what was in store. But of course, I really had no idea..... I think my enthusiasm about this opportunity was a bit infectious, and I was happy to find myself with three other kindreds in a car headed down to Visalia last Friday evening. While...

This idyllic slice of Oregon paradise is deceptive as some things of beauty can be. Sure, it looks peaceful. It looks leisurely and tranquil enough to quiet the hormone-raging mother of a new infant standing out of frame. But what you don't see in this photo was the real killer of this beautiful locale. The switchbacks. Pretend this is Google Earth and that you can zoom back about 15 feet and then orient to the left and up a bit...and there you would see it. The quaint stone path makes a pretty decent curve along the bottom part of this photo and sharply angles up the hill in a series of switchbacks that takes you back up to the cozy lodge above waiting with warm beverages and a comfy chair for a soft body still recovering from pregnancy and labor. What seemed to be an endless series of upward leading paths was really not that bad, I know. I know that with my child-bearing days behind me and a less of that soft body, I could book right up those couple of graded ...

I've heard this phrase, "the attitude of gratitude" for years now. It's a pretty simple concept, but can be a tough one to master -- as it is with most "simple truths." As November draws to a close, I once again realize that I have much to be grateful for in my life. Surprisingly, I did not partake in the "30 Days of Thankfulness Fest" on Facebook. I'm not sure why. I'm definitely all about being thankful and letting people know what I'm thankful for, but I think some part of me didn't want the pressure of having to think of something and then post it. Maybe I just wanted it to be a bit more organic and natural. Or...I could have just been commitment-phobic. That is probably a little true too. Nonetheless, without posting daily, I have been keeping track of my many blessings. And the more blessings I count up, the more blessings I seem to see in my life. I think this is a universal truth about being grateful: The more gr...