Character Traits

What Can I Do About Racism?

What I Did When My Kids Lost

Character Trait of the Month: Individual Worth- Week #2

Character Trait of the Month: Individual Worth #1

Choose Your Own Adventure: An Ice Cream Object Lesson

Character Trait of the Month: Self Discipline

20 Movies That Will Teach Your Kids Compassion

“The Butterfly Circus”: A Complement to “The Greatest Showman”

“What are Words”: What does love mean to you?

Standin’ Tall: Audios and Coloring Books for Children

Summer of the Monkeys: Sacrificing for Siblings

Lift: Different Ways of Serving

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I know travel is tricky right now, but in general, do you have family reunions? Do you make the effort to go? Can I get on my soapbox about them?
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We are at one right now for my husband and his siblings. And there is so much to love about this. Due to distance, some are not able to come, and as I look at my kids bonding and cementing relationships with cousins, being mentored and tutored by uncles and aunts and loved on by grandma and grandpa, I can’t help but be profoundly grateful. All of these people are pretty different from me, and because of that, they fill in gaps for my kids that I can’t.
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It’s definitely not perfect, but it is still pretty darn amazing. For privacy reasons, I can’t show you all the family, but there have been epic @nerf and Rival gun battles, giant s’mores, hiking, slip ‘n slides and more- basically a kid’s paradise.
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There have also been conversations about God, politics, education, career planning, what makes up a healthy family and good old hard work.
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For this side of the family, we get together every two years and save up quite a bit to be able to make this happen. But it is definitely worth every single penny and the 12 hour trip to get here. #family #familyreunion #summer #extendedfamily #parentinghelp

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Getting away for a few days for back to back family reunions. During one of them, we stole away and stayed in the yurt my dad built. It was sooo nice to get away from all the noise. #yurt #familyreunion #peaceandquiet

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I have been so soul weary the past few weeks. All of the hurt and sadness, all of the hatred, all of the fighting has really taken a toll. Now Arizona is burning to a crisp and you can smell it in the air. Covid is rearing it’s head again. I don’t want to be on social media or watch the news or do much of anything right now. But I arrived at my childhood home this weekend, and the world seems a better place already. This is my happy place. What is yours? #happyplace #refuge #thingswillgetbetter #wemustdobetter

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My husband realized that we haven’t taught our 9 and 10 yr olds about government as much as we should have, so he challenged them to memorize the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and the Preamble to the Constitution.😳
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We are just starting in the first paragraph of the Declaration. And I think it’s super cute. 🥰 #raisethegood #education #declarationofindependence #parenting

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Is there a special dad or father figure in your life? Please tell me about them and let’s share the stories of good, amazing men that make a real difference in the world.
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My hubby is goofy, absolutely brilliant, and will do literally anything for our kids. In this picture, he went hiking in the (unexpected) snow with them. He has sacrificed some of his biggest dreams for them and has been actively conquering his biggest weaknesses for them, too. His integrity, hard work and the way he treats everyone is inspiring for my kids. Love him!
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Now it’s your turn! Brag away!

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Have you been overwhelmed with all the resources for anti-racism? Have you felt a bit battered because of them? (I have!) It’s all good stuff and so very important, but there is so much and it is often very heavy.
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It doesn’t have to be like that! Have you read the new guest post on the blog yet? My good friend Lisa writes what is in her heart as a black woman. She keeps it super simple and filled with grace. When you come away, you will feel BETTER and not worse. HOPEFUL and not overwhelmed. Link in bio. #light #simple #racism #raisethegood

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New guest post on the blog from my dear friend, Lisa. As a black woman, she shares her perspective on racism and what we can each do to make things better. She is so non-judgmental, so loving and clear minded. I just love her! Link in bio. #racism #raisethegood #bethegood

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When I asked my adopted black brother Uku what he wanted white people to do to create change, he simply said, “Check your thoughts.” That was it.
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But truly- that’s where all unkindness, sin, racism, and abuse starts. It reminded me of this quote. If you would like a free printable of this, go to the link in the bio and click on “free printables”. Let’s focus on sowing loving, uplifting thoughts. ❤️
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#raisethegood #kindness #thoughts #actions #bebetter #love

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I’ve been quiet for a long time. Not for lack of caring or conviction- please believe me. Just like you, I’ve been doing a ton of internal work and reaching out to the black people in my life, asking questions and listening.
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My adopted brother Uku and my roommate and friend of twenty years, Lisa have especially been wonderful, as I ask them more fully about their experiences. (And good news- Lisa will be doing a guest post for RAISE The Good about the things that are in her heart right now.)
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I asked my dear ones if posting on social media was a meaningful show of support for them. I asked, “How can I help?” For them, they preferred other ways of showing support, so I’ve done (and still am doing) those things.
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This quote was originally given as part of a speech about how we are to treat our family members. As the human family, I think this probably applies even more to us, than it does to our immediate family. When I say “doubt the worst”, please understand that I am NOT speaking about doubting injustices that occur. Those are horrifying and need to be corrected as quickly as possible. I am speaking of overcoming prejudice and the increasing division I am seeing among the nation, family and friends.
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The more I talk to people, the more I’ve seen people just wanting to be loved and understood. My black friends and family, my friends who have family in law enforcement, and my white friends who really want to be loving and sensitive.
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But more than that, the one thing I have seen that is universal, is EVERYONE wanting to help make things better. What an incredibly encouraging thing to see! For sure, we may disagree on various ways to do that, but let’s assume the best of EVERY race, of EVERY family member we don’t quite “get”, of EVERY stranger. Let’s use this momentum to draw closer to each other. In this time, when people are screaming at each other about how to solve problems, let’s take a step back and remember we are all in the same side.
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Everyone wants things to be better, and we all have much to learn. We all have different ways and contributions to make- and that is marvelous.

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