Family Life

It’s a curious situation, to have so much to do and yet feel so incapable of doing it. I have a lot I need to accomplish at work, but it’s so deadeningly boring that it’s difficult to drum up enough motivation or enthusiasm to do any of it. It’s ironic in so many ways, because [...]

We were at a baby shower this afternoon, for a young couple in our church celebrating their first child. I overheard the new mother commenting how she’d had to hold the baby for an hour last night, just to get her off to sleep, and how much she’d enjoyed the quiet time, baby and her. [...]

Joel has to make sure he has all his “babies” when he goes to bed. These are his stuffed toys. There is a greater volume of stuffed toys in the bed than there is of Joel. First and foremost is Rabbit, his senior baby. Next are Rabbit’s deputies, Happy Feet (a penguin, of course) and [...]

The book I’m currently reading listening to involves a large family of very bright people. The kids are very different from each other, but they’ve all grown up to careers in science: a physicist, a research biologist, an anthropologist. Except one. He’s grown up to be a worker in a brick factory. It’s not until [...]

Joel says “Thank you” a lot, sometimes for unusual or unexpected reasons, but always in the proper context. He says it as if you’ve just done him the most wonderful favour, or have just granted his deepest desires. There’s a depth of enthusiasm and satisfaction and assurance in those two words. For example, at the [...]