by Shannon Popkin | Aug 17, 2013 | Hospitality, Marriage, Mistakes, Submission
Five or six years ago, I began complaining about our kitchen to my husband. I said that it was too small. You could only fit a tiny round table in the eating area, and there wasn’t nearly enough room if we wanted to have a big group of people over for dinner. Plus,...
by Shannon Popkin | Jul 19, 2013 | Faith, God, Humility, Mistakes, Parenting
In my hands, I hold the strings of the three kite-like kids whom God has blessed me with. I have a lot to juggle with three–wanting each one to soar high in the sky. It’s so fun to have the other people around me tilt their heads back and admire the...
by Shannon Popkin | Jun 25, 2013 | Anxiety, Beauty, Discipline, Food, Parenting, Teens, Wisdom
Dear Seventeen-Year-Old Me,Let’s talk about the mirror. Sometimes when you look in it, you’re disgusted. You think you’re fat or ugly or covered in pimples. You’ve already started to experiment with your eating habits and your hair and makeup. You spend hours in your...
by Shannon Popkin | Jun 17, 2013 | Kids' Perspective, Leadership, Parenting, Teens, Wisdom
Dear 17-year-old Me,Let’s talk about your Dad. If you listed out your relationships by order of priority, I’m confident your dad wouldn’t land in the place he deserves—which is somewhere at the top of the list. When you have a dad like yours—one who faithfully...
by Shannon Popkin | Jun 13, 2013 | Change, Communication, Faith, Food, Teens
Dear Seventeen-Year-Old Me,Let’s talk about boys. It’s going to be rough for a while. You’re going to crave the attention of boys, but mostly because you want to know that you’re OK. You want to know that you’re pretty enough, smart enough, and fun enough… And...
by Shannon Popkin | Jun 4, 2013 | Change, Father, Kids' Perspective, Media, Parenting, Sin
Some years ago I bought a bunch of perennial flower bulbs, planted them, and waited to see what would happen. I had no idea what colors might pop out of those clenched green fists, and I could hardly keep myself from prying the blooms open! I would study them every...