I decided this New Year that I wanted to become a reader. I usually don’t make resolutions, however this year I made a goal to read one book each month. I’ve managed to read 3 books already! Of course, it’s way too soon to say that I’ve met my goal, but at least I’m starting strong.

I’ve discovered that the key to my becoming a reader is all in finding the right book. Thus far, I’ve read a parenting book, financial book, and a historical fiction novel. What’s next? Well, we’ll see which one of my library hold requests comes through first.

• God’s love for me. Unearned. I am accepted.


• My hard-working man. Lovingly providing. Happily returning home.


• Baby arms around my neck. Reaching up for me. Squeezing.


• Freedom to live Biblically. Refusing to be a slave to fear or guilt.


• Time. To learn. To relish life. To manage my house. To treasure family. To love others. To grow. To change.


• Friends. Close and distant. Friends who turn my face towards Christ.


• A home. A nest for family. A place of ministry.

I remember that all this has been given to me. I cannot act as though it were not a gift.

Motherhood as a Mission Field.

After discovering Jankovic has authored a book, Loving the Little Years, I added it to my Amazon wish list. Happily, my sister sent it to me for Christmas! Because the book is only about a hundred pages, it was a quick read, and I learned a few things in the process.

Because Jankovic’s online articles were so deep, I expected Loving the Little Years to be completely devotional. Instead, I found it to be highly practical and instructive as she depicted what biblical parenting looks like in her everyday training of four children 5 years old and younger.

Chapter 3 begins with an illustration she uses to curb sibling rivalry and ends with a reminder about a mother’s tongue. Her admonishment to correct in love looks a lot different from a mom who throws sarcastic retorts like grenades into the back seat of the car. You know what I mean!

Try thinking of discipline as a different kind of nourishment—a sweet means of grace to your children. Bring that to the table with a smile and a wink—a means of building up little people, not a means of bringing them down. Make a point of telling them all about how you love them—with a lot of good solid points. ~p.19

Prioritize your children far and away above the other work you need to get done. They are the only part of your work that really matters. ~p. 51

Our bodies are tools, not treasures.  You should not spend your days trying to preserve your body in its eighteen-year-old form. Let it be used. By the time you die, you want to have a dinged and dinted body. Motherhood uses your body in the way that God designed it to be used. Those are the right kind of damages. p.58

Scars and stretch marks and muffin tops are all part of your kingdom work. One of the greatest testimonies Christian women can have in our world today is the testimony of joyfully giving your body to another. p.59

Me: “Babe, what’s your favorite _______?”

Him: (pause) “Umm. Do I have to have a favorite?”

It’s so very frustrating (and sometimes hard to comprehend) that he doesn’t have favorites! Well, at least not as many favorites as I think he should. However, there are a few categories in which he has a strongly held favorite. Apples is one of those categories. His absolute favorite apple in the whole wide world is…yes, you guessed it…a McIntosh.

Unlike Stephen, I did not grow up loving fruit. I didn’t care to eat an apple, let alone have a favorite kind of apple. That’s all different now that I’ve met a McIntosh. (Stephen and I both agree that Red Delicious apples aren’t worth the effort to chew them.) I find myself wanting to eat an apple when we have McIntoshes in the house. That’s not normal for me! I not only want to eat it, I act as though it’s going to disappear if I don’t eat the entire apple in two seconds. They’re that good. The skin pops as you bite it—only to introduce you to the soft sweet/tangy inside that’s anything but mealy. Silas has decided that McIntosh is his favorite apple too. He sees them and begs to eat one.

Sadly, McIntosh apples are rarely sold in our local grocery stores. We’ve found them twice since moving to Phoenix, and we’ve bought a load of them both times. (Just this week I found them for sale at Basha’s and came home with two bags.) If you’ve not yet tried a McIntosh, you don’t know what a good apple tastes like!

Grandma was pretty amazing herself—raising four sons, volunteering for various community organizations and serving as president of the Pittsburgh Women’s Club for one term and vice president for two. She and Grandpa loved to travel, and they visited over 100 foreign countries. That love of travel was passed down to their children and grandchildren. I’m sure that’s where I get my wanderlust. I don’t think I’m capable of picking just one place to live for the rest of my entire life.

Apparently they were both musical. Though the above picture was staged, Grandpa played the piano and Grandma, the violin. One of my uncles plays the banjo, and if you know my dad at all, you’re well aware that he plays about thirty instruments. My sisters and I grew up in a home full of music and instruments, and we’re continuing the tradition.

Here’s the Manka clan back in the day. See that handsome dude on the far right? That’s my daddy. Yep, sideburns and all!

Although Grandpa and Grandma are gone, their love for learning, travel, music, nature and science—just to name a few—is mine to keep.

One afternoon we took off for South Mountain Park and Preserve for a little hiking. Since we weren’t feeling very ambitious, and the Buick’s low fuel light had just come on, we picked a short hike near the park entrance. Although it didn’t seem like we had climbed much in elevation, after just a bit of hiking, we had a nice view of the valley and downtown Phoenix.

Silas and Jon took advantage of a lot of nephew/uncle time together. Jon gave him piano and drum lessons. We even had a cookout (in January!) Jon’s last night here.

Mommy & Daddy

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On Friday, the guys toured the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson. Nothing like a bunch of planes, jets, and rockets to entertain them. Dad—via Jon’s suggestion—found a Vietnamese restaurant to try for supper. The previous night Jon had introduced all of us to Boba tea (creamy tea with tapioca pearls mixed in), so Dad was up for a supper of Vietnamese food. My favorite part was the spring roll appetizer with peanut sauce. Fish sauce was a new sensation for our American palettes. I think we all agreed that Vietnamese food was a success.

Afterwards we explored the adjacent Lee Lee Oriental Suparmarket which was filled with strange and wonderful (and some unappetizing) cuisine choices. In the meat section we found chicken legs, pig snouts, blood, hearts, pig ears, eels, squid, and octopus! As we shopped Dad commented, “One thing about it, you get to know your animals.” To which Stephen replied, “It’s like a dead zoo, Dad.” Thankfully we came home with relatively normal purchases like a pineapple orange, pomelo, sesame snacks, mango, etc. and left the balut, anchovies, and tongue in Tucson.

Our week was filled with enjoying Christmas presents. Tammy gave Stephen the popular game Settlers of Catan, and Tim, Ben, Stephen & I became immediately addicted. We even rang in the New Year playing Settlers. My family gave me Rummikub and Buzzword which made for a game-filled week. I instantly used my beautiful platter from Jon for our Christmas brunch. Best of all, Mom and Dad bought us some porch furniture which means we can enjoy being outside finally. Can’t wait to use it!

The days were warm and clear and perfect for visits to the park. At Arizona Mills mall Silas rode the carousel with Grammy and Daddy and visited the pet shop.We had plenty of help around the house. The dishes “magically” disappeared after each meal. Stephen even had help installing his radiator hose.

Holidays are still holidays without family, but oh, how glad we are they came!

Man’s maker was made man,
that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast;
that the Bread might hunger,
the Fountain thirst,
the Light sleep,
the Way be tired on its journey;
that the Truth might be accused of false witness,
the Teacher be beaten with whips,
the Foundation be suspended on wood;
that Strength might grow weak;
that the Healer might be wounded;
that Life might die.

~Augustine of Hippo (Sermons 191.1)