Encouragement for moms of babies, toddlers and preschoolers
This is an interesting blog post to share, because I started it when I had a toddler and preschooler then finished it recently having a 7- and 10-year-old. But I wanted to share this hybrid of encouragement for moms of babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
Living in the fray
I’ve been thinking lately about what I will want to remember to say to mothers of young children when my children are grown. This has come up because I’ve been thinking of what I would appreciate hearing right now from other people, like the older lady behind me in line at the grocery store this week who saw me juggling a sippy cup, snack cup, my purse, our grocery bags, my debit card, a whole slew of groceries and my toddler then just gaped at me and pushed forward as soon as she could so I wouldn’t waste her time.
The tricky thing for the store at which I was shopping is that you have one cart to start with then have to switch to another when you check out. It’s not a horrible setup, but it is tricky when you have a child strapped into that cart. Well, maybe not tricky, but it just takes a bit of extra time.
And, in all fairness, I have no clue what the lady behind me had going on in her life. Maybe she was in a hurry to get back to a sick spouse or parent or any slew of difficulties. But, I’ve been thinking about what I want to remember to say in the future when I’m looking at a mom with a young child running herself in circles trying to keep everyone where they need to be while buying their food.
Chances are pretty great that I’m never going to turn into an extrovert who chats up every stranger she meets. So, realistically what I will say will be something along the lines of: “Can I help you?” or “Don’t hurry. Take your time. I’ve been there, done that.”
In fact, a couple of months ago an older lady said that exact statement to my husband and me as we were keeping her standing in the cold, blocking her car door while wrangling the toddler into his carseat and strapping the preschooler into hers. Her grace made my evening better.
And that encouragement for moms is what I want to extend when my little ones are older. Heck, that’s what I want to extend to them now when we’re in the trenches together. Just know that when I say just a few words or offer a smile as your child is having a meltdown or you are making people wait an extra two minutes in line while getting everything situated, what I really mean is this:
From a fellow mom of itty bitties
Calm down. I’ll wait for you. I understand what you’re going through. It’s hard just to get everyone ready and out the door. I know you had to stay up late even figuring out what food to make your family next week and what you needed from the store because otherwise there would be no time to concentrate or contemplate such things while getting little bodies fed and changed and cleaned and combed and bundled up to leave the house.
Take your time and know that one day it will be easier. One day you won’t have a toddler doing his best to put his sippy cup on the conveyor belt to pay for it and then getting mad because suddenly he no longer has it in his hand. And it will be easier to shop.
For now, though, fellow mama, don’t rush yourself. Don’t worry and fret on my account. Just relax and let me help you load your groceries while you take care of your kiddos. You will make it. You’re doing a great job. See? No one is screaming (at least not any longer). No one is bleeding. Everyone is actually pretty content. Don’t worry. You’ll get lunch made on time and the preschooler off to her class on time. You’ve got this. I see you being pushed to your limits and not giving in.
From a mom in the middle
Know that while this time is incredibly stressful and sometimes, quite frankly, makes you want to run away, that it is also precious. One day you’ll look at other moms in the same situation you’re now in and remember these days with fondness.
But, that also doesn’t make them any easier now. Enjoy the sweet moments and embrace them. Give extra cuddles and hugs in lieu of scrubbing your kitchen counter.
However, also give yourself grace. Sometimes you’re going to lose your temper and yell. You’ll want to pull your hair out wondering if your toddler will ever be potty trained. (He will!) You may have to apologize to your children or give yourself a time-out to sit in the bathroom alone for two minutes and regroup. It’s OK. It’s normal. You’re doing a great job.
Hang in there, mama. Each phase has its own challenges and joys. You are going to make it. And if I can make your life easier with a smile or understanding look, if I can help you as you struggle to balance all the things you must take with you when you leave the house, I will.
Because, mama, my babies are older now. I’m not in the baby, toddler or preschool phase any longer. I’m right in the middle with a 7 and 10-year-old, but I so very much remember the challenges of those days. Hang in there and rock your mama journey in all its messiness and frustration!
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About seven years ago, I came across a recipe on Pinterest for doughnuts made from canned biscuits. I decided to give them a try one Saturday morning by frying them in oil in a skillet on my stovetop.
I dipped them in melted butter and cinnamon and sugar. They made a tasty treat, but they had a bit of a grease flavor to them. I didn’t make them again.
Fast forward to quarantine and going for fresh doughnuts was impossible for a long time. (In fact, we are few months into the pandemic, and I still haven’t done so since we are continuing to self-isolate.) When a cousin sent me a recipe for making the same doughnuts in the air fryer, I decided to give them a try again.
I’m in love with my air fryer and trying to come up with new things to make for my family in being at home and cooking even more than usual.
The instructions were a bit vague, so I did some experimenting. I had trouble with the dough sticking to the air fryer basket. Then they were in too long and got burnt. I used the flaky layer biscuits, and they didn’t stay together quite as well.
I ended up going through two cans of biscuits and even made a few on the stovetop to compare what we liked best. My whole family preferred the air fryer doughnuts because there wasn’t an oily taste or any greasiness.
My family was quite happy to be my taste testers as I continued tweaking the preparation to find out the best way to make air fryer doughnuts. I took loads of photos, because I knew I had to share the recipe.
These air fryer doughnuts don’t taste like a doughnut you’d get at your local bakery, per se, but they are delectable breakfast treats that you’ll enjoy. They only need a few ingredients and are super easy to make as well.
The trickiest part is making sure the dough doesn’t stick to your air fryer basket. Air fryer baskets are usually non-stick surfaces. As such, you shouldn’t use non-stick cooking spray. It can mess up the non-stick surface and burn off too quickly to work.
I tried rubbing my basket with vegetable oil the first time and that didn’t work so great. I found that the best way to keep the dough from sticking is by covering the basket with parchment paper. You can buy parchment paper inserts for air fryer baskets, but I didn’t have any. So, I just trimmed a piece of parchment paper and used a fork to poke holes all throughout it. It’s not beautiful, but it works.
Next open your biscuits and prepare the dough. (I suggest NOT using biscuit dough that is flaky layers.) I set mine up on the counter on top of aluminum foil or wax paper. You could also use a plate or a cutting board. It doesn’t matter.
The first step is to get the doughnut shape. The easiest and simplest way to do this is with a clean cap from a bottle of water or soda. Press the cap down in the center of each biscuit, gently, but firmly. Gently push the center of the doughnut out. My kids loved doing this part. Save the centers to make doughnut holes with!
Now you’re ready to get cooking. Place the doughnuts in your air fryer basket without touching each other. I can fit three full-sized doughnuts in my air fryer at one time.
Put the doughnuts into the air fryer at 400-degrees (F) and set it for eight minutes. Set a timer for four minutes.
While the doughnuts are cooking, make sure your station is set up for managing the doughnuts once they are cooked. I set up two paper plates: one for the hot doughnuts and one for the finished doughnuts. Melt your butter or margarine in a small bowl and mix your cinnamon sugar in another small bowl. I line them up beside the air fryer and hot pad I use to put the air fryer basket on.
After the doughnuts have cooked for four minutes, pull them out. They should be very lightly browned on top and still doughy on the bottom.
Use tongs to gently turn the doughnuts over and put the basket back in the air fryer for the remaining four minutes. The doughnuts should be golden brown when time is up. If they aren’t, you may need to adjust your time and/or temperature.
Put the hot doughnuts out onto a plate to cool for minute or so. I usually get my next round of dough going in the air fryer while letting them cool enough I can touch them.
Dip the doughnuts on each side in the melted butter or margarine.
Next, dip them in the cinnamon sugar on both sides. I sometimes use a spoon or my fingers to spread more cinnamon sugar on them so that they get well covered.
(SIDE NOTE: I tried using Nutella as icing on a few of the air fryer doughnuts the first time around and we all liked cinnamon sugar much better. And that’s coming from a chocoholic!)
Don’t forget to make your doughnut holes as well. I roll mine so they turn into balls.
The way it works out with my air fryer, I make two baskets of three large air fryer doughnuts and then one basket with two large doughnuts and all the doughnut holes. I found the doughnut holes did OK at the same time and temperature as the big ones, but you might want to check them adjust and make adjustments as needed.
These air fryer doughnuts are delicious when they are warm, but they are also good at room temperature.
I love mine with a good, cold glass of white milk, though chocolate milk would be good, too!
1can of 8 jumbo buttermilk biscuitsnot the flaky kind
1stick of butter or margarinemelted
1/2cupsugar
1tsp.cinnamon
Instructions
Prepare the air fryer basket by covering it with parchment paper. If you don't have specific air fryer parchment paper liners (I don't!), then cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your air fryer basket and put holes in it. If you don't have parchment paper, grease the air fryer basket with cooking oil, butter or shortening. Do NOT use non-stick cooking spray because it will damage the non-stick coating on your air fryer basket.
Prepare your dough by opening and separating the biscuits. Use a clean lid from a water or soda bottle and gently but firmly press it down into the center of each biscuit to cut out a hole. Set aside the dough you cut out to make doughnut holes with.
Put the dough into the air fryer basket without any of the edges touching each other or the sides of the air fryer basket. Set the temperature for 400-degrees (F) and time for 8 minutes.
Set a timer for 4 minutes.
While the dough starts cooking, melt the butter in a small bowl.
Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a second small bowl.
At the 4-minute mark, open the air fryer and gently flip the doughnuts over so they cook evenly on both sides.
When the time is up, the air fryer doughnuts should be golden brown. Let them cool just enough so that you can touch them. Dip both sides of the doughnut first in the melt butter or margarine and then repeat the same way in the cinnamon sugar. You can use your fingers or a spoon to help put even more cinnamon sugar over the doughnut as well.
Serve the doughnuts right away while warm or at room temperature.
The Moms on a Mission series is one of my favorites. I love getting to share the stories of real moms who are making a difference in the lives of their families and the world!
This month’s mom is someone I’ve known for more than 20 years. Erin Mayes and I met in college where we were both studying magazine journalism. She was a young woman with a sweet smile. I didn’t have to talk to her long to see her heart for God.
Our lives have certainly changed since those days as young college students, but Erin’s heart for God remains the same. And now she lives out her mission as a wife to her husband, Josh, and mama to two kiddos, who are 8 and 5. She spends her days as a homemaker and stay-at-home mom while also advocating for children who live thousands of miles away from her Midwestern home.
Families with Grace: What is your God-given mission or passion?
Erin Mayes: If you want to talk about passion, my first passion is Jesus. After that, one of our biggest mission’s is our home. Our biggest testimony is our marriage and, for my husband and me, raising our children in a home that is living out the gospel. The over-arching vision of our family is to love God and love others.
FWG: How do you work to live out that mission right now?
EM: Like all of life, as soon as you figure something out, it changes. I used to say that I hate change, but over time I’ve grown to learn that life is always changing. I think that’s a blessing. God uses change to remind us to rely on Him. God knows we need Him and wants us to recognize that we need Him.
So, my mission has morphed over time. I feel like I’ve lived several entities of myself. When I was 19, my brother, who was only 16, passed away from cancer. That will always be a giant marker in my life. Then I graduated college and was single and working full time and that was a different mission.
For this moment, where I am right now, we do it real messy and we just keep trying. When we got married, we agreed that I’d stay home when we had kids. When I was pregnant with my oldest, I was offered a job that would have been a great career opportunity, but I said no so I could be fully in our home. I’m thankful that I get to invest so much time in our children.
This pandemic — while it’s been so difficult in the world as a whole — has been a blessing for me personally in having enough time to slow down and listen to my kids. I hope that as my children are young I’m able to plant seeds and give them attention. I’m not perfect and have to apologize and ask for forgiveness from them sometimes.
Along with our family, my husband and I are also involved in our church. For us, it’s asking God for the wisdom to give our best “yes,” because we recognize that when you say yes to one thing, you’re saying no to others. And if you’re saying yes to everything, you’re stretched too thin.
FWG: Tell us about your involvement with Team World Vision.
EM: Back around 2012, Team World Vision, which is an arm of World Vision, came to our city and spoke at our church. A woman gave her testimony about how she walked to get to clean water when she was young. It was powerful. Our church had a huge response, and we had a big team that year. Both my husband, Josh, and I ran with Team World Vision that year.
Through training for a half or full marathon, someone who runs or walks with Team World Vision will ask their family and friends to join them on the journey by donating. The dollars donated to their fundraising page go directly to help provide clean water to those who don’t have access to it.
Team World Vision makes an individual sport a team sport. Running long distances is as much mental as physical. It’s easy to quit and hard to keep going. With Team World Vision, you get a schedule of the running plan for each day, whether it’s time or distance. Then your long run is on the weekend.
Most Team World Vision teams get together on Saturday mornings and will have music, water, snacks and so forth. You get to see other people doing the same thing as you. And that’s encouraging.
The first few years, Josh and I would trade off Saturdays running while the other one took care of the baby and eventually babies. Four years ago when we moved to a different area of town and went to a new church, we decided to start our own Team World Vision team.
Josh, Erin and their two kiddos in their Team World Vision orange gear.
The statistics are staggering on how much of the world does not have access to clean water. In 2018, my husband and I got to go to Africa to see some of the places where World Vision is working. We heard the founder of Team World Vision speak. He shared that we can only go without breath for a matter of minutes to survive. We can only go without water for a matter of days and without food for weeks for our bodies to survive.
So after air, water is the second most important thing a body needs to survive. If you’re spending all your time searching for water that isn’t even clean, you’re just surviving and not thriving. Sadly, 50% of children under age 5 die in areas where they don’t have access to clean water due to water contamination illnesses. It’s hard to wrap our minds around not having access to clean water.
You’re either doing Team World Vision because you need something to help you accomplish a half or full marathon or because you want to help with the clean water crisis, but ultimately, it ends up being both.
(For even more, check out this Facebook video of Erin’s husband interviewing a team member.)
FWG: What are some of your biggest challenges in living out your mission?
EM: I believe in the Bible that God calls us to boldness — a boldness in our faith. And if we do not have it, the Bible says to ask for it in the same way He tells us to ask for wisdom if we don’t have it. Through Team World Vision, asking people to run or give money can be hard. It’s all about a mindset, but it helps to understand that Jesus says to cast out your net. He doesn’t say to pick and choose.
The first three years we ran with Team World Vision, we raised a small amount. We didn’t have a vision and goal that gripped our hearts. In our fourth year, Josh said if we were going to continue doing this, we needed to be all in. We decided that we would make a full effort and put our whole effort and whole heart into the fundraising equally. We matched the donations people gave us throughout the year and ended up being in the top third of fund raisers that year.
The next year, God called us to do more and we had to step through fear. On the other side of fear is where you find God working. In 2018, we doubled our goal and raised $10,000. We led our team by example. Our team began to see it happen and they began to embrace it themselves and recognize what they could do to help.
Even just getting invited to go to Africa with Team World Vision in 2018 involved me stepping through fear. I don’t like to fly. We had 12 flights in 14 days. It was a spiritual war inside of me just to put down the deposit and say yes, we’re going to Africa and leaving our small children, who were only 3 and 5 at the time.
But, we got to see the work being done there. And God continues to work in our hearts on this. I was training for the 2020 New York City Marathon, but it was recently canceled. That was kind of expected, but also a surprise that they did it so early. So, we’re shifting gears and leading our team. It’s a matter of trusting God each day.
Team World Vision does offer a virtual option now that will allow me to run the 26 miles over five days instead. I can train with others locally but also still complete the marathon virtually.
A couple of years ago, Team World Vision added in child sponsorships. At the beginning of the year, I felt like God was telling me this New York City run should use the money for child sponsorships instead of waterworks like we’ve always done. So, I will do that now with the virtual run.
Child sponsorship is a bigger ask and commitment. It takes $39 a month. But it’s also a bigger impact. It’s continual money going into the community. It helps World Vision. They have a long-term relationship with the community and government. They help the community set goals, reach goals and then they pull out. So the community has ownership.
It’s such a beautiful thing. You’re really making an impact and when you do a child sponsorship, you can set up an auto payment to come out of your account every month. Most Americans don’t end up missing that money that is making an impact somewhere else.
FWG: What have been some of your biggest blessing in living out your mission?
EM: God’s still working on my heart, thank goodness. I’ve been blessed by the friendships and opportunities that have come out of this. I never dreamed I would go to Africa and get to meet real faces and real people that are impacted. They impacted me.
You can’t out-give God, whether it be money or time or listening to someone else. And we are blessed by the impact we see it slowly making on our family — our children, parents, extended family, church family and community. Each year it grows.
God’s dreams are bigger and better than our own if we’d just let go and say yes.
FWG: How do you balance motherhood responsibilities with your mission?
EM: Trying to get in the runs can be challenging. Josh and I have made it our goal to complete them in the morning, so it’s not hanging over the rest of our day. Plus we feel better throughout the day.
Leading a team and having a large fundraising goal requires a lot of time. During running season, Wednesday night after the kids go to bed is our Team World Vision night. We want our kids to feel like they’re a part of it and not like it’s taking away from family time. We try to make sure Team World Vision is getting attention but also not taking attention away from our kids.
FWG: What’s the best advice you have for other moms who are following their passions?
EM: You can’t do everything. If it’s a mother of really young children, I’d remind her that those seasons feel so long in the time, but it truly is just a short season. Embrace it for the time you’re in it.
Pray and ask God to open doors. I think we kind of get hung up on perfect, and that really can be the enemy of good. Just help someone else. Do the next right thing. Make the next best choice.
Especially when your kids are small, you have to be willing to accept help, and you don’t have to be the hero. It’s a blessing to let other people help you. The season will come when you can help others again.
A swimwear lesson I wish I’d have learned years ago
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I can’t remember the last time I was excited to go shopping for swimwear for myself. Maybe when I was a young child? But at least from high school on, shopping for swimwear has been a nightmare. I’d daresay my feelings are shared by the majority of women.
If ever there were a time to be self conscious about your body, wearing a swimsuit is one of them. Swimwear isn’t as forgiving as clothes. It is certainly much more exposed. The whole thing is stressful to me.
But, here’s the rub: I like swimming. I always have loved the water and feel at peace in and near the water. I grew up swimming constantly during warm weather. Even though I sometimes get sun poisoning (a rash from sun exposure), I still love swimming. On family vacations to the ocean, I’d often wear a long-sleeved T-shirt or my aunt would take me to the indoor pool.
And that’s also in spite of being sensitive to chlorine thanks to my bladder. You’d think with all of that going on PLUS being uncomfortable in a swimsuit that I wouldn’t like swimming. Yet, I do.
Not a sideline mom
Even more importantly these days, I want to enjoy water activities with my children. I don’t want to have to sit on the sidelines unless absolutely necessary. I’ve had times that I’ve had to sit on the sidelines because of chlorine, but I don’t want to do so just because of my body issues. And, let’s be honest here, getting older combined with having two babies hasn’t improved my phsyique.
However, I determined when my daughter was a preschooler and first asked to go to a community pool and splash pad that we often drove by that I wouldn’t be stuck on the sideline. I decided to put on my swimsuit (a one piece that was probably a decade old since I hadn’t been swimming so much) and just have fun with my kiddo. The last thing I wanted was to have her end up feeling self conscious in a bathing suit as well.
The other moms around me wore all sorts of swimwear styles. I could pick out those who were also uncomfortable but were trying to just enjoy the time with their kids. I decided then and there that I didn’t want to have any discomfort about being in a swimsuit. Everyone else was too busy with their own body issues to worry about my body, and even more importantly, their opinions don’t matter to me. What matters to me is my kiddos. I won’t get this time back with them!
A swimwear update
After that day at the community pool, I decided to update my suit. So I did some shopping. I hadn’t had a two-piece bathing suit for myself since I was a preschooler myself. But, I found that tankinis were popular but also nice for if you need to make a bathroom break and such. I also liked that with a black bottom I could have different tops and have more options.
So I got my first two-piece bathing suit as an adult and liked it. I found another tankini top on clearance at Target at the end of summer and picked it up. However, I found that I still didn’t feel so great even in the new swimwear. I was still more exposed than I was comfortable with.
The next summer on a beach trip, I got a sunburn on my chest in spite of all the sunscreen I lathered on. That skin wasn’t usually in the sun. But, I kept the same suits for a couple of years. After all, they were better than what I’d had before. I didn’t love them, but they were OK.
Then last summer, I found my daughter a swimsuit that came with a rash guard (T-shirt style top) instead of a tank top for the first time in a few years. While I have sensitive, fair skin, my redheaded daughter has even paler skin. I loved that the more coverage of the rash guard meant less skin to worry about slathering in SPF 50. My son has always liked wearing rash guards instead of going shirtless and I like the benefit of sun protection for him.
Somehow for the first time last summer, I realized I could also look for a rash guard for myself. I knew locally I had never seen any, but now I lived in the age of online shopping. I could change my way of thinking.
A new swimwear perspective
I did some searching on Amazon and found a women’s rash guard I liked. So, I ordered it. It arrived the day I was packing up my kids to go swimming at my cousin’s pool. I put it on over my bathing suit top and LOVED it! The rash guard gave me more coverage for sun protection and was a T-shirt style, more like my usual clothes. (I don’t even wear tank tops.)
When a family friend stopped by to chat, I was comfortable to just stand there and talk without feeling the need to quickly grab my cover-up. I felt well-covered with my modest swimwear.
The rash guard was awesome but didn’t have a built-in bra. I didn’t want to always have to wear a tankini top underneath, so I did some more research and looking. Before an indoor water park trip last fall, I bought a swimsuit bra, a loose tankini top with a scoop neck instead of being lower cut and boyshort swim bottoms.
Being able to wear a T-shirt and shorts to go swimming made me relax. Even the new tankini top was great because I didn’t have more chest exposed than I was comfortable with. I was able to relax more. The more modest swimwear was great for me.
Modesty doesn’t mean shame
What I learned throughout this process is that wearing modest swimwear, just like in my regular clothes, doesn’t mean I’m ashamed of my body. My body doesn’t look like I want it to. I have some extra pounds, but it’s the body that carried my babies. And it is what it is. If someone is appalled by it, they don’t have to look at it. I’m too old and have too many memories to make with my family to worry about the opinions of others.
I also, though, don’t buy into the popular thought that I have to prove I’m OK with my body type by showing it off. I have nothing to prove to anyone. I’m happy in my more modest swimwear because that’s what makes me more comfortable. Am I judging other moms in bikinis and more revealing swimwear? Nope. I just know what I feel good about for myself.
Honestly, my next swimwear purchase will be longer swim short bottoms that are more longer swim shorts, which is the length I wear for my regular clothes anyway.
The age of the Internet is a great one for giving us different options. I still haven’t see any of the modest swimwear I most like for sale in-person around where I live. But, I’m happy to have the option to order it online and feel better about what I’m wearing for water fun. I only wish I’d have done this sooner!
A growing list of encouraging quotes will uplift and inspire you
I love quotes and Bible verses that encourage and uplift me. In fact, I have shared many through the Motivation Monday and Truth Tuesday posts. I collect and have used those posts in my children’s lunchbox notes.
Right now, though, I’m not writing lunchbox notes, and I sometimes find quotes and verses that really speak to me but are a bit more than my children would relate to. And every so often, I find one of these in my own writing as well.
So, I decided to put together a new post of some of my favorite encouraging quotes and Bible verses complete with images you can easily Pin or share on social media if you’d like. I will continue adding to it!
“There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask “What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, What if you fly?” ― Erin Hanson
“Worship gets you through the hardest times in your life because it shifts your focus from the problem to the Problem Solver.” — Unknown
“We must cling to God’s love and promises most when life leaves us downtrodden and feeling dismal.” — Stacey A. Shannon
“God never intended us to live in worry and stress over whether we’re good enough. We can rest in His almighty power.” — Rev. Mark Dill
“It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.” — Confucius
“If you try to make everyone happy all the time, you won’t succeed and will lose parts of yourself. And that’s a shame, because the world has only one you.” — Stacey A. Shannon
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.” — Robert Frost
“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Why is it the ship beats the waves when the waves are so many and the ship is one? The reason is that ship has a purpose.” — Winston Churchill
“Look for the positive in each day, even if some days you have to look a little harder.” — Unknown
“I don’t always feel His presence. But God’s promises do not rest upon my feelings; they rest upon his integrity.” — R.C. Sproul
“If you don’t have faith, pray anyway. If you don’t understand or believe the words you’re saying, pray anyway. Prayer can start faith, particularly if you pray aloud. And even the most imperfect prayers is an attempt to reach God.” — Cary Grant
“Sometimes when we ask God our Why questions, instead of giving us answers He gives us Himself.” — Mary Jane Worden
“Statistics are human beings with the tears wiped off.” — Paul Brodeur
“I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” — Helen Keller
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” — Aesop
“It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge, and my job to love.” — Billy Graham
“Life is too short to stress over things that don’t matter in the long run. Instead, choose to let them go so you have room for all the good in your life.” – Stacey A. Shannon
“If Jesus is calling you to do something that may seem as impossible as walking on water, take courage. The One Who calls you will be present with you.” – Lisa Samra in “God Sees Her”
“When we turn our eyes toward the beautiful face of God, we can find strength and comfort that sustain us even in the midst of unanswered questions.” – Amy Peterson in “God Sees Her”
“Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent.” – Billy Graham
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