Often when I find myself mopping the floors … especially in the springtime, I glance down at my little red bucket and I can’t help but think about Hilda – our beloved sheep… Having a lot of kids causes one to re-think the whole gift-giving thing. If we were to give each child the quantity of gifts each year that the media insinuates is “normal” – we would be squeezed out of our home – by STUFF! So, a long time ago, we started to give gifts that were “outside of the box” t

I had the privilege to “run away” this weekend up North, where winter is certainly winter, and the stars have the ability to shine wildly. Some very wise and humble people were offering their thoughts on the topic of mercy…what a forgotten word in this world we live in right now! There were many wonderful fruits to be gained, but mostly, the message I left with was that as mothers/wives we do not often have the power or opportunity to extend mercy OUT to the greater world, b