In the meantime

The announcement that they were expecting was adorable. The added twist in the announcement saying that they were expecting twins made it even more delightful, for it is not every day that the Facebook algorithm brings up a "we're expecting twins" announcement! I'm truly happy for the couple who is now awaiting the arrival of not one, but two precious little ones!  But along with the joy in my heart came a twinge of sadness: my heart couldn't help but think back to the time, four years ago now in March, when we were also expecting twins. The thrill of finding out we were expecting was only heightened by the discovery that there were two! For somewhere between 5 1/2 and 12 weeks, I carried our two little treasures, created in God's image and precious in His sight.  But then there was no more growth. There was no more life. The twins were no longer with us. God had taken them from us.  In these bittersweet moments of joy tarnished by sadness, Scrip...

As I write this, we are in the process of breaking Talitha of her pacifier. We're taking one baby step at a time: right now we're trying to limit it to just during the night or nap times. We've been making a game out of throwing it back into her bed after her nap and, many times, she is  a willing participant in our little game. However, as the day progresses, she often casually wanders back into her room and looks and points quite longingly and excitedly at the pacifier lying there in her bed, lost among all the blankets.  I'm not sure what exactly goes through her mind, but it must be something along the lines of "Oh, I just wish I could have that. Mommy, look! There it is! I can see it! Do you see it? It sure would be so nice if I could just have it! Please, oh please!"  The longer she looks at it, the more desperate she becomes.   Sometimes she even throws a fit about it.  "Oh, Mommy, please? I really, really want it."  ...

 Now that I have read the book myself, I can see why Girl, Wash Your Face  is all the rage these days: who doesn't want to be told that nothing stands between you and success? Who doesn't want to be told that you're in control and doing everything right? Who doesn't want to be told that everything for a "better you" lies within you? Yes, in Girl, Wash Your Face,  Rachel Hollis tells her readers all of this and more with her sometimes almost-too-honest style of writing. (Which, by the way, is another significant appeal of the book.) Sure, every so often there are bits of truth that a person might find helpful. Bits such as the truth that we don't have to live up to the expectations of those around us. Or that our happiness isn't found in our surroundings. Or that we are all different, so we all have different strengths and weaknesses and should, consequently, embrace each other's differences. Not only that, but we aren't here on thi...