By Hannah Svebakken “If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know He enjoys giving rest to those He loves?” (Psalm 127:1-2 The Message) Maybe …
By Hannah Persall Svebakken As a child, I knew my dad was for me. I knew he was proud of me. I knew he loved me. He regularly told me these things. He regularly talked with me and listened to me. I knew what was important to him and I knew he cared to know what was important to me. We …
“Hi, Mom….Ummmm….is dad there?” This phone greeting was a regular occurrence during our girls’ college years. It’s not that I didn’t talk to them. We talked a lot. We talked about dating, classes, papers, friends and outings. I spent hours on the phone listening to tiny details of who wore what, who went where, and who …
“Speak English, Mommy.” Obviously, my plan wasn’t working. When we moved to Asia, I began studying Chinese and wanted my preschool daughters to do the same. Yet, every time I spoke Mandarin to them, I heard the same three words: “Speak English, Mommy.” Frustrated, I sent them outside to play while I went back to memorizing my …
I began crying a full nine months before the event. No, it was not an unexpected pregnancy—quite the opposite. My eldest daughter was graduating from high school, and I was not sure I would survive. From August to June, Hannah’s days were filled with drama practice, yearbook meetings, and trips to the village with friends. Mine were …
As I reflect on the past year, I wanted to repost one of my favorites from last Christmas. Maybe it’s one of my favorites because the author is one of my favorites. You guessed it, today’s post is from Hannah Persall Svebakken, our oldest daughter. You’ve read several posts about her, but maybe you missed her own special post that she …
I was brushing my teeth when I heard them. Now, I’m not a morning person and don’t wake up easily, but these noises I recognized. My young daughters were in the kitchen together, “secretly” making us breakfast. “Don’t start the shower,” I told Mark. “We have to get back in bed and act surprised.” It took a while. …
Okay. So, I’m a little biased about today’s blogger. Possibly, it’s because she has three of the cutest kids on the planet. Or maybe it’s because she was one of the cutest kids on the planet. (I have experiential knowledge on both counts). You’ve already read about her within my blog, but this is my daughter’s first time to guest …
