Bible Book Club
Donate

From Susan Merrill

The Blog

Parenting

To Persevere in Parenting

Choose Five days after I had my first child, Megan, I hemorrhaged and lost so much blood I had to be readmitted to the hospital for several days for surgery and a blood transfusion. Because of those complications, coupled with my heart condition, a second birth would be dangerous, so before we could have another child, we had to weigh the risks. When we felt it was time to have another baby, we intentionally made the choice, despite the risks, to have Emily. Eventually we chose to have a third child, Mark Jr., and again I hemorrhaged. The doctor then advised us that we should be thankful for our three healthy children and should avoid future pregnancies. Ten years went by, and there was no growth in our family number—until we decided to adopt two children. It was an intentional choice to expand our family.

Read Post →

Encouragement

True Story of Kid President

Not every child can be president but they can dream and dreams can lead to other things. Such is the case in the true story of the Kid President. He needed a dream, a vision, something to do. Concerned adults in his life helped him catch that vision. They turned his disability and inability to participate in sports and physical play and created an opportunity for him. The Kid President has an amazing platform to inspire kids and who knows at the rate he is going he may actually make it to become the real President.

Read Post →

Parenting

Mom-To-Be Princess Kate: Will She Be Royally Overwhelmed?

Lately, I have been royally overwhelmed. It seems as if I have had so much to do for so long that I have lost my way in the maze of kids, husband, travel, book, work and just emergencies of one sort or another. For the first time since I had Emily (baby #2, otherwise known as the one who didn’t sleep for 8 months) I feel as if I am in a fog. I wake up tired and I go to bed with my brain in overdrive resisting sleep because of a relentless urge to make sense of the to-do list still undone. Lately, Princess Kate is in almost every magazine in my grocery check-out line. She has a demanding calendar. I couldn’t help wondering if she gets royally overwhelmed. And then I thought, yikes, I hope not because she’s about to add a baby to her agenda. Sigh. Poor Kate, she’s going to be tired. As a new mom with the demands of a more than full-time job and a husband devoted to his serving the entire country how will she maintain balance? How will she find time to bond privately with her baby and serve publicly? …

Read Post →

Parenting

Building Patience

There are lots of reasons why a mom can lose her patience. I know because I lose mine all the time! I have learned through much failure that if I analyze why I lose it, I can take preventative action, overcome impatience, and exercise more patience. So here are the top five reasons why most I lose my patience, and five ways to build patience…

Read Post →

Encouragement

3 Ways A Mom Can Be Unperceptive

It is so hard to be a perceptive mom! But sooooooo important. I have failed at this. Have I confessed that enough over the last few weeks? I have tried to be a perceptive mom, but there have been times when I have missed seeing what is really going on in my children’s lives. When that has happened, it’s usually been because of one of these three ways moms are unperceptive…

Read Post →

Marriage

What He Really Wants For Father’s Day

Father’s Day–We are ready. My JCrew employed daughter bought Mark some clothes. My oldest daughter is flying in to surprise him. We have written and will perform a song for him to “What I Like About You.” My dad is coming and a few others for Mark’s favorite dinner. He will be happy that we went to a lot of trouble but when I read this I was reminded of what any dad, or mom for that matter, really wants from their child…

Read Post →

Parenting

Love Your Child More by Pondering

This lesson is one that is an ongoing struggle for me. I am so easily distracted and over-committed that finding time to actually ponder requires super human restraint (and I have not yet found my super powers). Ponder is defined as: to think about something carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion. As a mom I make decisions every day for my child–some big, some small. For the big decisions it is crucial that I ponder and pray before I conclude. This is the job of a passionate mom–to ponder everything she learns about her child so she can truly know her child. Do you add the bits of news and clues about your child’s life like puzzle pieces to your understanding so you can assemble a clear picture of what is going on in his or her life?

Read Post →

Parenting

6 Things to Teach Your Child Before They Leave Home

My fourth graduated from high school last night. You would think I would have this down. But as I prepared to do this Daytime TV segment I realized, oops, I missed a few things. Good thing this one is a boy and little better at winging it! Learn to cook a healthy meal, and the cost eating out. Manage health and illness. Save and invest. Take care of your car. Learn to clean and do laundry. Have a healthy distrust of strangers.

Read Post →

Parenting

4 Ways To Add Depth To Your Perception Of Your Child

Summer is the best time of year to slow down and really take a good, long, loving look at your child, your relationship and their future. To do so you will need to immerse yourself in their world and figure out what is transpiring in their head as they process life. Here are four ways you can add depth to your perception of your child…

Read Post →