by Laurie Short | Dec 21, 2015 | Christmas, Faith, Magi, Nativity
You’ve probably had moments when you’ve experienced it. Maybe even said it. But curiously the origin of the phrase “When the stars line up” is nowhere to be found. (At least not on Google.) “When the stars line up” is a phrase we...
by Laurie Short | Dec 17, 2014 | Baby Jesus, Christmas, Christmas gift, Compassion international, Faith
Can I make a confession? I have always loved the scene in Talladega Nights, where Ricky Bobby (Will Farrell) prays to the Baby Jesus. Frankly, it was the only part of the movie I actually watched. If you’ve never seen it, you can watch the scene here: (but...
by Laurie Short | Dec 20, 2013 | baby, Blessing, Buck4Good, Christmas, Compassion, Faith, Fully alive, generosity, gifts, giving, God, God's will, Grace, homelessness, Jesus, Perspective, Seeing, Stories
Have you ever given a gift that you didn’t intend to give? I was leaving my staff Christmas breakfast, and I had pulled out a couple bucks to tip the valet when two of my co-workers whispered “You gotta do $5 for this hotel.” My penny-pinching default...
by Laurie Short | Dec 12, 2013 | Blessing, Christmas, Faith, forgiveness, freedom, Fully alive, Grace, heroism, Madiba, Nelson Mandela, prejudice, prison, Uncategorized
Right in the middle of the Christmas season, the world buried a hero. And many of us took a pause in our shopping and celebrating to notice it. His country called him Madiba, but he was Nelson Mandela to those of us who beheld him from a distance. And at 95, his...
by Laurie Short | Dec 3, 2013 | baby, blended family, change, Christmas, Christmas carols, commercialism, Faith, family, Fully alive, God, holiday stress, homelessness, Jesus, miracle, Seeing, shopping, step parenting, stress, tuning in, Uncategorized
Ah the Holidays…. Time for food and fun and of course- family. This can raise all kinds of emotions depending on your family sketch. Personally, I’ve got two parents, two step parents, two brothers, two half sisters, one step sister, two sisters in law,...
by Laurie Short | Nov 25, 2013 | Ann Voskamp, Author, Blessing, cancer, Christmas, commercialism, Faith, family, Fully alive, Grace, One Thousand Gifts, recipe, step mom, step parenting, thankfulness, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized
Did anyone else notice that Christmas decorations went up the day after Halloween? I drove into a shopping center parking lot on November 1st, and the telephone poles had morphed into candy canes. And I felt a little sad. I love Christmas, but I’m worried that if...