Author: Meredith Cloninger

movie night

To pass the chilly month of January, my husband endeavored to once again to introduce our daughter to one of his favorite movie genres: fantasy. He’s passed Luke, Darth and Chewbacca by her multiple times, in hopes that she’ll let the force be with her. He’s tried to entice her with Hogwarts’ enchantment and hoped she’d marvel at several Marvel films. Alas, she is the most literal child we know, preferring National Geographic documentaries, with only the occasional musical thrown in. I wanted to help with his last ditch effort,… Continue reading movie night

when sorry isn’t enough

Chances are, the more time goes on in your adulthood, the more you sense the consequences— both long- and short-term—of decisions made decades ago. If you had truly known where moving from that city to this one would take you, you might have made a different choice. If anyone had been able to adequately communicate what parenthood was like, why it was worth it, you would have done it sooner, or had more kids given the chance. You’d have saved a whole lot more if you knew the current cost… Continue reading when sorry isn’t enough

hot potato

Of late, I am most likely to be found nose-buried in a book, taking in all I can about how to adjust along with and love my suddenly-tween daughter. My own counselor has described the middle school years of parenting as a sudden gear-shift, a jarring place where the comfy rules and compliance we lived with during the elementary years get set aside. It can feel like we’re driving stick shift for the first time, during our driving test, with a hormonal passenger who’s judging our driving. However, while these… Continue reading hot potato

good ground ahead

Last summer, my extended family got away for a week to our favorite beach just below Beaufort, South Carolina. We rested, played games, and ate shrimp boil poured out over newspaper. We also squabbled over too many people in the kitchen at once, as folks do when they have to temporarily share a beach house with multiple family units. It was a grand time. One evening, we experienced one of the strongest beach thunderstorms of my memory. I sat with my tween daughter, trying to convince her we wouldn’t in… Continue reading good ground ahead

a picture of self-care

6243695 - wooden chair on beach of relaxing lake at sunset

minding the gap

  “Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it.”—Elisha Goldstein Lately, I have felt like a novice at some new things being asked of me.  There are things I want and need to lean into, yet I hate how this makes me feel.  My very wise supervisor has said that in order to live fully, people have to be open to development.  Mastered habits that have kept me safe and protected feel cozy, but they don’t lend to real living. I see this as I… Continue reading minding the gap

one eye on the dark

  “Rejoicing is not the denial of bad news. It is the bone-deep conviction of news so good it will one day bring eternal relief to this ailing creation. It is an audacious act of faith in Christ and brave defiance against the darkness threatening to engulf us.” –Beth Moore We just experienced the eighteenth anniversary of September 11, 2001.  For the first time since that day, I was on a plane on 9/11 this year.  I shuffled through security lines, regretting my choice of slip-on shoes without socks.  I… Continue reading one eye on the dark

surrendered conversations

  I recently read an entertainment article featuring the beloved and prolific Julia Roberts detailing her process for starting films on set.  She mentioned that before she can begin any actual script work, she takes a day or two to walk around and connect with—or befriend—all the people she’ll be working with, from other actors, to assistants, to caterers.  A day or two.  She reported this was part of a process she needs for her social anxiety, to get her relaxed enough to do the real work.  This woman commands… Continue reading surrendered conversations

poolside resurrection

  “There was no sudden, striking, and emotional transition. Like the warming of a room or the coming of daylight. When you first notice (healing) it has already been going on for some time.” —C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed   It has been sweltering the last several days, causing me to wonder whether it’s always this hot overnight in mid-May.  I’ve frequented our pool and–like all parents of young children who are raring to be done with school–am amazed that we are already at the edge of summer.  So, this past Sunday… Continue reading poolside resurrection

a weary world rejoices

  When my little one was tiny enough to be rocked, I rocked her and sang to her before bed each night.  She’s seven now and, truth be told, if you peer into our window at home you may catch me still trying that. During her second Christmas season, I sang carols to her as we rocked in her nursery rocker.  When we turned the corner into a new year, she asked me to keep singing the songs of Advent that her two-year-old heart had come to love.  So, until… Continue reading a weary world rejoices