by Emily Wierenga | Mar 10, 2012 | giving, God, gospel, grace, hardship, hope, more, prosperity
“i think God wants us to have more,” she says. we’re eating pizza and everyone has a kid in his lap and it’s suppertime at oma’s house. the trailer’s never been so full with seven boys under the age of five and we’re a motley... by Emily Wierenga | Mar 8, 2012 | faith, fire, God, gospel, heaven, kisses from katie, prospering
i never thought of mother teresa as successful. as a little girl i’d dream about her landing in my backyard in her airplane and taking me with her to india to serve the poor. she was godly, yes, and sacrificial and strange and selfless, but i wouldn’t say... by Emily Wierenga | Mar 6, 2012 | children, chocolate, dancing, dying, fostering, heaven, hope, Jesus, parenting
tonight we found Jin in the bathtub after we’d put his pajamas and diaper on. trent and i just kind of looked at each other and then looked at the bathtub and then walked away.then we did rock-paper-scissors to see who had to change him, again.but there was this... by Emily Wierenga | Mar 4, 2012 | family, forgiveness, fostering, God, grace, husband, love, quitting
it’s easy to love someone when he lets you sleep in, rising with all four boys. when he makes you scrambled eggs with bacon, and coffee. it’s not so easy when he makes you cry. when he tells you he’s worried, he doesn’t think you can handle... by Emily Wierenga | Mar 2, 2012 | Uncategorized
(i will write soon; just wanted to give you this glimpse into our madness. trent was gone this week on a ski trip with the school, so i had a lot of help from the church, and from the wine bottle in my fridge. just kidding. :) well, i did have a glass–or... by Emily Wierenga | Feb 29, 2012 | cemetery, child, death, heaven, hope, losing, parents
they were black silhouettes clinging to each other in the burial ground as the cedar casket was carried and in it, the body of their 17-month-old daughter, their shoulders shaking even as the casket lowered. and no parent should have to bury his own child. it should... by Emily Wierenga | Feb 26, 2012 | baby, death, funeral, God, heaven, love, mother
i forget, for a moment, how angry i am at God, when i hold my new nephew, whose brown feet conduct an invisible orchestra.babies give God a face, and when you look at them, it’s so easy to believe. but when they die, at 18 months, it’s so easy to stop... by Emily Wierenga | Feb 23, 2012 | crying, fostering, hope, joy, kids, Lord, motherhood
i had to laugh, like a crazy lady, i laughed while they cried and the Joy of the Lord sang on the CD. it was one of those laugh-or-you’ll-cry times, and so we made a cacophony of sound that afternoon drive home, as sweet-voiced singers crooned “i’ve... by Emily Wierenga | Feb 20, 2012 | children, desert, fostering, God, mothers, prayer, song, st. francis
“it will get harder,” i heard, bending over the rails of the crib, the crucified stance of the mother who feeds life in the dead of night. but i shook my head. it couldn’t. it was hard enough. and then, “there will be victory,” even as my... by Emily Wierenga | Feb 18, 2012 | fostering, giving up, hope, Jesus, kids, mother, sick, strong, weak
i cried, the other day, over spilled milk. it was tuesday, and two out of four boys in their high chairs and thomas the train choo-chooing across the screen. i turned to the television, baby in arm, to adjust the sound and that’s when he threw...