The Fruits of the Spirit are: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control.   Think about what those look like in a person you admire. Can you recall people you appreciate because of their wisdom, sense of self, their calm spirit, and that their goodness radiates their character? As a result, isn’t their life the kind of life you see yourself living in some ways? In other words, the quality of their character [...]

  “When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm, not join the chaos.” L.K. Knost When your little children go off to elementary school and create friendships that introduce them and you into a new world of community, it is truly a joy to see them play and bond with others. Little birthday parties, after school play-dates, sports – all contribute to a terrific time in the development [...]

For every parent, there comes a day when you wake up to realize that your relationship with your maturing teen is about to change.  They are most likely a high school senior, making guided decisions for their future and taking the necessary steps to prepare for their life apart from you.  It’s a challenging time for most kids as they may seem to be hesitant or seem like they can hardly wait to get out [...]

Of all the things we teach our kids about greeting people, like looking people in the eye when they speak, using proper voice levels, the appropriate way to shake hands, and the general “how to” when talking to teachers, family members and their friends, we must remember to teach them to smile. So often we’ve encountered customer service people, store clerks, wait people and others who do not smile when they are speaking (sometimes they [...]