-
An Open Letter to My Four Kids
By Vanessa Rasanen To my four children: I am no perfect mama. I am very much a poor and miserable sinner of a mom. But you don’t really need me to remind you of that. Even at your oh-so young ages you’ve had the blinders removed and seen me in some of my darkest moments. Okay, maybe not the 1-week-old as much, but I’m fairly certain he has spent the last several months hearing my raised voice when I get angry and feeling my body shake from the sobs when that guilt hits afterward. Parenting is hard. I know it probably looks like such an easy thing from your perspective. Dad…
-
Having Kids in a Broken and Scary World
By Vanessa Rasanen Parenting is an awesomely hard gig somedays. Amidst the laughs and fun we have our share of messes and frustrations, tears and fights. But above all it’s the worry that wears me the most thin. If I claimed to never fear or worry about what life will bring for our children, it’d be a total lie. Then the news hits. Another atrocity. More heartache somewhere for someone. And I struggle to block it all out so I don’t completely fall apart and fail to be a wife and mom. Inevitably the question comes up… “Why have kids at all when the world is so awful?” And shamefully I admit it…
-
Birth Fears, Redux
By Allison Hull It’s a birthday! Everyone’s excited for the first birthday, right? Can’t wait to see the cake smashing and the icing covered face. Can’t wait to see them try to rip into a present and probably pass out from the sugar coma. Birthdays are supposed to be joyous times filled with eagerness for the years to come. For some moms it’s not all joy. Some births are not always joyous and some are downright scary. As I near a first birthday I’m reminded of that time for me over and over again. And I’m reminded of this article Holly posted in July. https://katieluthersisters.org/2015/07/birth-fears/ When she first wrote it…
-
Fear and Comfort in the Age of Instability
By Holly Scheer Watching the news right now is not a good way to feel comfortable and safe. From the highly contentious election we are hurtling towards to the recent violence and deaths, the images presented to us are not happy ones to ponder before we fall asleep. There are large questions our government is trying to grapple with—how do we compassionately address a massive refugee crisis while keeping our own safe, do we continue to engage in the growing military conflicts, how do we bolster our still stumbling economy and deal with the mess that is American healthcare… and more. Don’t worry. I’m not here to talk politics to…
-
Birth Fears
By Holly Scheer Having a new baby is exciting. Announcing to friends, to family, to the congregation, that a new little person will be joining the family is a joy. With this joy there can be fear, though. Fear of the unknown for the first time mother, fears of the somewhat known for the mother who has been there, done that, especially if things were really hard. This fear isn’t a new one, sister. Childbirth through history has been a dangerous undertaking for women– and their babies. In some parts of the world, it still is. You aren’t alone in this, either. God has promised to never forsake and leave…
