Suburban Shalom

seeking peace and purpose from my little neck of the suburbs

Driving by Advent

I was pouring a second cup of coffee yesterday morning when my oldest walked through the kitchen on a live call with her school Chromebook. I couldn’t see the screen but I could hear her classmate sharing about her Christmas plans. Teen: “I’m going to Florida to see my dad, but I’m nervous.” … [Read more...]

A deep breath

For the first ten years of my parenting I had a ritual before going to bed. I would quietly tiptoe into each of the girls’ rooms and make sure they were breathing. All I needed was a quick glimpse of the rise and fall of their little chests to satisfy myself. Is this strange? Probably. But I slept … [Read more...]

An antidote to anxiety

I have a child struggling with anxiety, and it has caught us off guard because she is not the one typically prone to it. Maybe I should blame it on the chaos of 2020 or the intensity of these past few weeks? Whatever the cause, this one’s anxiety, which is coupled with some attention deficit, is … [Read more...]

Who tells your story?

I’ve only visited my dad’s grave a handful of times. I don’t like cemeteries or the feelings they conjure up. But this fall I find myself driving by the one he is buried in on the other side of town once a week to take my middle daughter to piano lessons. A few weeks ago she asked why we never … [Read more...]