I cannot tell you exactly what the topic was, but I can tell you that this speaker on this day said “um,” “uh,” and “so” a lot! This stood out to me not as a critique, but as a reminder. I thought about my time as a member of Toastmasters International, an organization for public speakers who want to improve their skills. One of the many forms of training we received was how to minimize and ultimately eliminate filler words such as “um,” “ah,” “so,” and “uh.” We tend to use them to fill in the Continue Reading
Hugs in the Valley
Whenever my daughter gets into trouble, with tears streaming down her face, gasping for her next breath, she will ask for a hug. The question is: why does her heart long for us most visibly when it is broken? Perhaps, it is in the crevices of this brokenness that the good news of daddy’s affection for her is realized? Could it be that in this brokenness the good news of mommy’s admiration for her is remembered. Maybe, this is the moment when she suddenly recalls the good news told to her Continue Reading
Comforted and Excited
My youngest daughter, Olivia came to our bed several nights in a row saying that she was afraid. We offered hugs and kisses and allowed her to sleep in our bed. After night number infinity, my husband and I decided we needed to try to help get her on the other side of this stage in life! He put her to bed one evening and talked to her about praying to God for comfort and followed that up with something pretty special. He shared with her that he too had trouble sleeping through his fears as a Continue Reading