A long time ago I wrote about the kind of daughter-in-law I felt that MIL wanted and the impossibility of her existence. I was thinking today about the flip side - that I also had an image of the MIL I wanted and that she probably wouldn’t exist in real life. Sometimes, when I read others’

Most people tend to be unilateral when it comes to belief.  They like thinking that their belief is what keeps them going in good and bad times.  It is after all, the quintessential expression of human hope.  Well, I’m a cynic and I believe that every coin has two sides.  Just because people choose to ignore

Welcome to the first post to my new blog. How did you get so badly lost that you ended up here? Images from the Wizard of Oz spring to mind. But still… welcome.  You won’t find any true thought leadership here, at least not today. I’m just settling into this.  But I hope at the outset to

What did a highly spiritual pregnant woman say when she was asked about her expected date of delivery? I have learned to have no expectations. My doctor and my husband are expecting the baby in about 9 months.

The following is a fairly well-known story/parable about raising a child with a disability. It is touching, inspiring, and comforting. And while it was written for a specific kind of unexpected living, I find it just as powerful for describing the loss of expectations in every aspect of life. I include it here in support

If you read the title of this post you probably have a good idea the terms that Darren McFadden and his agent came to with the Oakland Raiders late Thursday Night. Sources close to McFadden told SI that he is slated to receive more than $26 million in guaranteed money — a 40-percent hike compared

[Must… resist… blogging… about… WWDC…] Its no use, I can’t do it! On Monday Apples World Wide Developers Conference kicks off with the biannual keynote speech by his Jobbsness. These two speeches, one in February the other in June are the main occasions for Apple to launch new products. This year the techblogs are alive with rumours about

Terrific Tuesday  When you are confused as to what and why you do things with your kids you are very likely to be caught in the product side of parenting.  You are trying to figure out what will be the best thing for your kid in the long run.  You are so confused with all the

How do you spell s-u-c-c-e-s-s?  We ‘ve assumed for way too long that “nickels and noses” are the key benchmarks to success in church life.  I say assumed, because for decades now, these are the things that we “report.”  Whenever we talk with our colleagues, this is what we share; whenever we send information to the

Photo by yourpaldave Growing up, my good friend frequently offered two words of advice that seemed to work for most any situation. The advice? “Clarify expectations.” Think about it - how many problems would be prevented if only the parties had set up specific expectations prior to engaging in whatever caused friction or hurt