Faith's Mom's Blog

For the past couple of years, I have posted Faith's thankful list on Thanksgiving. Before I get to her list, I just want to say how very thankful I am to have a daughter who not only loves to encourage others, but that she really is grateful for the things she has and the people in her life. The first year we did her thankful list was in 2013 and some of the thing son her list included Wheel of Fortune, her bed, and mommy and daddy. In 2014 , she said she was thankful for her grandma, seeing her grandparents in Canada, her clothes, and her apartment. Some of the things that made her thankful list in 2015 included her whole family and worship music. Last year her list contained her TV shows, her family, and books and stories. Here is Faith's  2017 Thankful List:  Her Grandma and Grandpa : We are so thankful to live so close to my parents. Faith loves visiting their place and getting together with her aunts, and cousins. We were thankful to get to see some of the

Last year I had a tough time getting used to the idea that my daughter had somehow turned into a teenager. This year, I'm having a hard time believing that my daughter is 14 years old. 14! How in the world did that happen? Admittedly, her birthday started a little rough with Faith waking up saying she didn't want to celebrate. I chalked it up to her being really tired due to her long day on Tuesday which had begun at 7:30 a.m. If you know Faith, you know that is really early for her. Somehow in the midst of her crankiness, we managed to get her up and into her chair for her first feeding of the day without the occurrence of any major battles. When Faith heard her auntie Joh singing Happy Birthday to her while leaving a message, her mood shifted to being happy and joyful. We called Joh back, who had taken time during her lunch break to make the birthday call. We also talked to her grandparents in Canada, which helped as well. After the phone calls, she decided she di

We got married on Rosh Hashanah (which is the Jewish New Year). So because our day wasn't going so well on the 7th of September, which is the day we got married, we decided to celebrate today, which is the date of this year's Rosh Hoshanah. For this anniversary blog post, I was going to write something elaborate and in-depth about some things I have learned in being married for 15 years (and all that I am continuing to learn). However, every time I tried to construct it in my head, it just wouldn't come together. I wanted to share some of our highs and lows, some of the great memories and not-so-great ones. I wanted to be an encouragement to other married couples who might be struggling. Instead, I wrote my husband a letter thanking him for his constant support, encouragement, and patience. I'll spare you all the details, but I also told him that I'm glad in the midst of the many challenges we have faced these past 15 years, we have simply refused to give u

I’m not usually one to want summer to linger. And yes, I get that as a North Dakotan, this does make me a little strange. Usually, I cannot wait for fall and the cooler weather, the changing of the leaves, the pumpkin spice lattes, and all that comes with autumn. This year is different and even though it has been one of the hottest summers we’ve had in a long time, I wouldn’t mind holding on to summer for just a couple more weeks. Or maybe even another month. I’m finding it truly odd that I feel this way. But I think I’m beginning to understand why. My little family doesn’t normally do a lot during the summer months. We might go the park or down to the river, or go for walks, but that’s about it. And that used to bother me. I would look on Facebook and see everyone’s vacation photos and all the summer activities they’ve been involved in, and I would feel like I was missing out or something. This year though, I became content with not doing much. That’s not really lik

It can be hard for Faith to try new things. She loves routine, which makes it hard to adjust to change. While that’s true for many us, it can be nearly impossible to get her to try something different. There are some things I just know she’ll love if she’s able to give it a chance. And that’s exactly what happened a couple of years ago with New Life’s Immersed Night of Worship. A lady from the worship team started the monthly event, and even though Faith was a little hesitant about going at first, she has come to truly love it. At Immersed, Monica simply stands at her keyboard and sings worship music. Those who attend can worship in whatever way they want to - by singing, dancing, sitting quietly, or even lying down. It's a night that the Holy Spirit is free to move and Monica lets the Spirit lead. Over the past several months, there has been as many as 30-some people filling the small room at the church office. Other times, there has been less than 10. People