I'm excited to be one of the contributing bloggers to Exemplify Online Magazine's new Family Channel blog. My first entry goes up today; it's a children's devotion complete with an activity to help communicate the message to kids. I hope you'll take a look at today's devotion and check out the other great things going on at Exemplify.

It's hard to believe it's been more than a month since my last post. But, considering the month it's been, it's not entirely unbelievable.

Bug was on his way out the door to school this morning when he turned around, with all the seriousness a first-grader can muster.

"Happy Birthday," he said.

I blinked in surprise in response.

Then he dropped his chin, peered up from under his lashes while the left corner of his mouth crept up into his characteristic crooked grin.

"Just kidding!" and he skipped off to the car.

I love seeing his sense of humor develop--and knowing that he's aware that my birthday is actually tomorrow!

My dad lost an eye recently due to an infection that wouldn't heal and three (yes 3!) corneal transplants that wouldn't heal. Now he's got macular degeneration in his remaining eye. His field of vision grows smaller and fuzzier almost by the day. So he's having to find new ways of navigating in a world that he can see less and less of.

My physical eyesight is ok (as much as it can be 'for my age'), but we're walking through one of those valleys (or, as Holley Gerth described today, an alley) that is rather narrow and kind of dark and next to impossible to see where the next footstep will fall. I can empathize with my dad's circumstances from a spiritual perspective. I blogged about it today at 5 Minutes for Faith. Would love it if you'd hop over and check it out.

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Do you have days where you feel like no one really listens to you? (If you're a mom with small kids I know you do!) I have enough of them that I don't really pay much attention to the fact, but every once in a while, when someone really listens, it stands out.