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Mom Continues to Text Son After His Tragic Death—& She Finally Got a Response

After Taylor Thyfault passed away, his mom continued sending him text messages. Some were short and said things like, “I love you,” and, “I miss you.” They helped her feel connected. Then, she received a reply.

12 Surprising Truths About People with Tattoos You Never Knew

Uncover 12 surprising truths about people with tattoos, challenging stereotypes and revealing the unique stories behind their inked expressions.

What it Really Means When We Say “Yahweh”

When we call out to God, in praise, in worship, and in need, we are calling on the Lord our God. Learn how to pronounce Yahweh and call on the mighty one. Our Father. Creator.

The Secret to Marriage Is Staying Quiet

In a world obsessed with perfection, we just don’t expect it of one another, and I consider that one of the greatest blessings of my life. I’m lucky, yes, but I choose this life every day. I choose it and he chooses it and by doing so, I hope we can show these kids of ours that perfection in marriage isn’t real. Perfection in any relationship is just an illusion. It’s not always roses and champagne. It’s hard work; it is disagreement sometimes; it’s choice; it’s forgiveness; it’s acceptance. I hope they know it’s worth it and I hope they know it is because we’ve shown them.

As for me, it’s so much of who I am and while I know myself outside of my identity as a wife and mother, I choose to identify, primarily, as them. I am so many other things, but for me, I choose those roles first and he chooses the roles of husband and father first and for us, it’s made all the difference. It’s a choice every, single day.

Thanks for Mothering the Divide with me as I choose this life. I stand here in the middle of bedtime and snotty noses and bathrooms that need cleaned. I stand here with my husband, with deliberate choice, and while it’s not easy every day, I think the secret might just be to stay quiet on the days it seems harder.

Kara Lawler
Kara Lawlerhttp://motheringthedivide.com
Kara Lawler is a wife, mother, and teacher who writes regularly in her own space, Mothering the Divide, and shares a nightly story on her Facebook page. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 15 years, is a mother of two small children who inform all of her writing and her perspective, and has been an English teacher for 16 years. Together with her family, she does small scale farming on the family homestead, Aisling House (Aisling is Irish for “dream”), a southern-style farmhouse located in the Appalachian mountains of Pennsylvania. Much of her work draws on the natural world found just right outside her door. The divide to her is mothering all of these parts of her life, as she mothers her children. As she sees it, the divide is trying to balance it all and embracing the beauty of mothering, in general. Kara writes about children and identity with a spiritual, reverent tone. Often, her work is a form of prayer, as she truly believes that observation is a form of prayer. Her writing is honest and authentic, and while she acknowledges, openly, that parenting and marriage aren't easy, she truly believes that nothing worth doing usually is. Being a mom and a wife can be work, but that very work she considers to be vocational. Becoming and being someone's mother has been a journey for her--a journey of self-discovery as she mothers these pieces of her heart.

Mom Continues to Text Son After His Tragic Death—& She Finally Got a Response

After Taylor Thyfault passed away, his mom continued sending him text messages. Some were short and said things like, “I love you,” and, “I miss you.” They helped her feel connected. Then, she received a reply.

12 Surprising Truths About People with Tattoos You Never Knew

Uncover 12 surprising truths about people with tattoos, challenging stereotypes and revealing the unique stories behind their inked expressions.

What it Really Means When We Say “Yahweh”

When we call out to God, in praise, in worship, and in need, we are calling on the Lord our God. Learn how to pronounce Yahweh and call on the mighty one. Our Father. Creator.