I have worked with teenagers, children and families for the last 20 years. One of my conclusions: living a life of purpose, wholeness and fulfillment comes as a result of lots of intentional effort. As I write this, I am looking out over my back yard, a little corner cultivated out of the Garden of Eden (minus the race track of Tyvola Road noise behind the bird songs). My husband is a gardener. He knows the names of all the plants and flowers, he knows when and how many times

Part one: Chores and Family Time That awful insecurity still rises up in me now and then. It's ugly. My mid-forties, how is this possible?! Well, for starters, my non-pregnant belly is starting to appear three moths pregnant for no reason, my hair decided to add some contrast with a few gray strands on display, and my energy level looks more like that of a turtle taking its sweet time crossing the road. Looking back, I was thankful to exit my 20’s and start living out the re