Archives For Family

3 Reasons Why Forgiveness is a Good Plan for the Holidays

smgianotti@me.com  —  November 22, 2016

* This article first appeared on Patheos on November 9, 2016.  

“This isn’t middle school anymore,” one of my ninth grade teachers used to say whenever someone complained about homework, “it’s not a bunch of warm fuzzies.” Neither is forgiveness, and for many of us the holidays can feel more like forgiveness boot camp than walking in a winter wonderland. 

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As our families disappoint once us again, old hurts flare up, and holiday shopping ends in shouting matches, forgiveness can like an assault to our humanity. Could God really ask us to stoop that low, to forgive that person Continue Reading…

In A Better World, Bible, Christianity, Christmas, Faith, Family, Forgiveness, Friendship, Generosity, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, People, Thanksgiving , , , , , , , , ,
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A Few Perks to Not Having Kids

smgianotti@me.com  —  September 1, 2015

This summer, my family rented a cabin in the Adirondacks. For a glorious week I escaped the Texas inferno and romped around with my two nieces who are, without question, the cutest humans on the planet.  

 

One evening, as my brother, Jason, laid on the couch two-year-old Ruby climbed onto him and sprawled across his chest. For a moment, envy shot through me. I wanted what Jason had—my own family, my own kids. 

 

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Photo courtesy of Abby Bischoff via flickr.com

 

But, while parenthood is a gift, it isn’t the promised land. Before the week of family vacation was over, that reality check had already bounced. There are some definite perks to not having kids. So, in case you need a reminder of what those are, here’s a short list from my week in the Adirondacks Continue Reading…

In Singleness , ,
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