The Gypsy Mama — Snapshots of life lived between countries, callings, and kids.

A family resemblance

July 27, 2010

He made me buzz off all his locks yesterday.

I thought I would be heart broken.
But instead I discovered my brother. Underneath all those curls, there was Luke staring back at me. All the strong, sturdy lines of a face I’ve known since 1981. There it was today, grinning up at me and making my heart [...]

Like It? Print, Email, or Share:

Read the full article →

In between hello and good bye

July 26, 2010

I’ve spent hundreds of hours of my life in airports.
And I still contend there is something magical about them.

They sweep us up and out of ourselves; a moment of complete suspension, between one reality and another. And we see more reflected in the windows than the neon lights dangling above the sunrise. We see snapshots [...]

Like It? Print, Email, or Share:

Read the full article →

Jesus loves me this I know, for…

July 23, 2010

…my children show me so.
…my husband proves it so.
…the tulips sing it so.
…my journey shouts it so.
OK, your turn. Subscribers – wanna click over to play along?

Like It? Print, Email, or Share:

Like It? Print, Email, or Share:

Read the full article →

If blogging makes you feel small

July 22, 2010

Can I ask you a hard question?
Does blogging grow your joy? Not just does it bring you occasional joy, but does it grow your joy?

Does it give or take away your peace, your sense of contentment and your view of yourself?
Does it remind you that you are part of a community larger than yourself?
Does it [...]

Like It? Print, Email, or Share:

Read the full article →

This is a public service announcement

July 20, 2010

Unattended two-and-a-half year olds will climb couches in the church foyer when your back is turned and grab onto the fire alarm for leverage. The alarm will ring a long, loud time. The Pastor you were shaking hands with minutes before will flee to get the “off” key. The key will not turn up, the [...]

Like It? Print, Email, or Share:

Read the full article →

The letter no daughter wants to write

July 19, 2010

Hey Mom,
Has it really been 17 years? You won’t believe all the things that have happened the last decade and a half. Dad’s the biggest change. I was talking to him today and he and Wanda have taken in another baby. A little girl this time. She’s only 1 month older than my Micah; but [...]

Like It? Print, Email, or Share:

Read the full article →

Hi, I’m Lisa-Jo. And you are?

July 16, 2010

So, I just love that you hang out here on Fridays.
I love that you kick off your shoes, put your feet up on the coffee table, and make yourself comfortable. I love that we gab about our likes and dislikes, our quirks, quibbles, and quaint qualities.
It’s delish to swap stories with you.
Today I thought it [...]

Like It? Print, Email, or Share:

Read the full article →

A time to zip the lip

July 15, 2010

Ecclesiastes 3: A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven …
7…a time to be silent and a time to speak.

My mouth was doing a mile a minute. It was sprinting ’cause time was short, my baby was whining, and I thought the empty space of silence in [...]

Like It? Print, Email, or Share:

Read the full article →

What you can see when the light’s just right

July 13, 2010

I watched you–wild and fearless–in the water and saw the boy you are becoming.

You laughed at the sprays, danced in the drops, gulped down a fire hydrant’s worth.
I saw you at five. You have journeyed miles since four. I saw you at six, seven, eight starting to care how your hair falls and what jeans [...]

Like It? Print, Email, or Share:

Read the full article →

If you give a mouse a cookie

July 12, 2010

If you give a kid a bucket, he will want to fill it with dirt.
If you give a kid some dirt, he’ll want to mix it with water.
If you give a kid some water, he will pour it all over himself.
If you give a kid some paper towels to wipe up the spills, he will [...]