We fell into typical patterns of dealing with hurts. I would set up some kind of unrealistic expectation - usually involving Steve being able to read my mind and take away all my feelings of sadness, insecurity or insignificance. Invariably Steve would fail. He should have been praised for the times he miraculously figured all this out. But instead, I would take offense. I would suffer as a martyr in silence. You know, the loud kind of silence that is hard to not notice. 

We never read a book without bringing to it all of the circumstances in our lives at the time we are reading. I suppose you could dismiss my delight in this book because I happened to be falling in love with the man who I was reading it with! 

I am not old, not yet. But I can feel old age in my bones, and it takes a little longer to find details in the hard drive of my brain. There are new aches and pains that greet me in the morning or after a walk. I know all sorts of limitations are coming. The world would have me believe I can stop the aging process. But the fountain of youth is a myth. Scripture would tell me that to age with grace and wisdom is to flourish even though my hair grays and my skin wrinkles.

  Can we pause a moment and address the truth that the term “empty nest” has a negative sound to it? Doesn’t it? When is empty a good thing? An empty tank of gas? An empty fridge? An empty wallet? Perhaps we could recover from the “empty nest syndrome” by thinking of open hands rather than an empty nest? When I open my hands to let my children go, I am in a position to open my arms to welcome new people, opportunities and adventures. One is never idle when her hands are open

What’s a mother who has been hurt by the sin of her child to do? Give my child a “get out of jail card” and pretend it never happened?

When a mother wants to be the only thing that matters in her child’s life, anyone else her child loves becomes a threat to her. This is the mom who will tolerate no rivals. . . . A  jealous mom sees things only from her limited and shortsighted perspective. She looks out for her own interests. This becomes priority number one. Her actions are driven by selfish ambition and conceit.