i’m not sure when prayer became a threat, but i’m determined to reframe it.  in a desperate moment, we told the kids only the power of prayer by our church community could help the situation.  but let me say that the level of disrespect and dissatisfaction was hitting an all time high.

i’m learning to step back.  to remove myself a bit.  jerry has stepped into a new role of using some of his high school classroom management techniques at home:  calm and cool and clear.  we had a good family meeting (one of very few so far) and have moved with a bit more grace in the past couple of days.  blessed be.

our advent box is stocked with a treat for each and a note with some kind of activity on it.  we worked on advent mandalas the first few days and have since moved on to cards, ornaments, slushy outings, movies in the basement, etc.  today we’ll walk to the new coffee shop on bethel campus.  they have a coffee called “peace” which i like for all sorts of reasons.

the light  of winter is evident…casting reminders of olden days on our wall.  the quest for peace is on.