Girl Who Grew Up On A Bus

As a mother, I want nothing more than to nurture my kids. Like a gardener who cultivates the soil that will one day bear great fruit, I want to plant seeds of Christ-like love into the hearts of my children that will foster hope, peace, generosity, a sense of self worth and value, boldness, righteousness, and a deep love for the Lord. I just had the most special moment with my 9 year old last night - one of those defining moments between a mother and her child that leave a permanent mark. My son was upset. He seemed flustered and angry. There have been times in the past when I've seen him this way and my immediate reaction was to discipline him for acting out. However, I did not do this. What I've learned about feelings is that there are often deeply rooted emotions that are buried so deep that they end up being revealed as something different - it's essentially a defense mechanism so we can feel safe and unexposed. It's a form of protection so that others don'

This poem was given to me by a random person that God put into my life for a short time to offer words of wisdom and encouragement through what has been a tough season in my life. I read it almost every day...sometimes many times a day. I read it every time I struggle to see and understand where I fit in this world. I read it in the moments I feel unseen or misunderstood. I read it when I feel alone - sometimes in a room full of people.  And every time, it brings me to a place of confidence and truth because I know "whose" I am; and because of that, I am free to be me. I am enough just as I am and I am loved by a perfect Father... SHE by Danielle Bennett  She is a patient gardener, and if you ask her soil how it became so rich, it will tell you how she has always been more willing to listen to what it needs than waiting to speak it into moving at the pace of her understanding. Her silence is terrifying because you know the next time she opens her mouth t

We live in a broken world that is full of broken people. And what do we do with broken things? Well, we usually deem them as worthless and throw them away. Society has taught us that - Simply put, what's broken has no value. When you look at life that way, it's no surprise that this world is plagued with increasing suicide rates, depression, lack of self-worth, and people who get lost in the hopelessness of despair.   I was one of those broken people, who saw little 'ol broken me as trash to be thrown out with the rest of the garbage. See, the world taught me that. The world hurt me, cut me down, belittled me, abandoned me, and abused me. Yes, the world did that...a world that is filled with other broken people just like me.   I was convinced that I couldn't be loved, as I am sure many of you were too (and quite possibly still are). I just knew that if I let myself be seen, then surely those around me would discover how worthless I really was and they would toss