[On occasion, Peace Garden Mama will include a bit of my newspaper work, published mainly Saturdays in The Forum, reprinted here with permission.] Living Faith: And just like Bilbo Baggins, we’re off! By Roxane B. Salonen, The Forum One of my favorite scenes in the movie “The Hobbit” has Bilbo Baggins tearing through the lush, [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Mar 01
Jul 16
mama mondays: daughters who braid
She was bored, waiting with the rest of us for the fireworks to start on the 4th. “Mom, can I braid your hair?” she asked. “Umm, sure, I guess.” It was rarely an improvement, but it was night and there was nothing better to do. She lacked most of the essential tools, including a comb, [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Jun 01
faith fridays: ready hezzy?
When my sister and I were younger, our dad used to play Frisbee with us. To alert us the round disc was about to be sent our way, he’d say, “Ready Hezzy?” And we’d know. I searched for a photo of a Frisbee gliding through the air, but couldn’t find the right one. This one [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Nov 28
mama mondays: wedding memory more meaningful 20 years later
Coming off a holiday weekend, it’s a little hard knowing where to focus my Monday thoughts. So much has happened. The youngest Salonens giving their best Thanksgiving pose I could write about my daughter’s first attempt at apple pie with Grandma, or the layered Asian dip we made together. I could write about my favorite [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Nov 25
faith fridays: the letter that changed everything
“You should have seen what happened at school today. Everyone was crying,” my eighth-grader shared in the van late last week. I could tell she wanted to say more, but it was just too hard with her siblings all around fighting for air time. But from her expression, I knew that though it had been [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Nov 18
faith fridays: in God’s lap
This is me around age 7, cuddling up with my first puppy after a week at camp away from him. He wasn’t the first puppy I’d loved, but the first I’d actually picked out and claimed as my own rather than picked up as a stray from our town filled with vagabond pups. This photo [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Nov 14
mama mondays: good news, bad news
The weekend started out with a bang with our Catholic high school’s third state football championship game. Everyone was out of school anyway for Veteran’s Day, so the girls and I decided to go (the boys were heading out of town). Good News! Just after I’d paid the parking and admission fees for the [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Nov 11
faith fridays: where have all the heroes gone?
If you’ve had the pleasure of raising a son, you’ve undoubtedly experienced the superhero phase; a time when flowing capes on backs (towels and safety pins work too), tights and and big muscles rule the day. Earlier today I heard a presentation on integrity and it got me thinking about superheroes, the epitome of integrity. [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Nov 07
mama mondays: it’s about more than coffee
Several years back, someone who I looked upon as highly moral gave me a double-take when I told him I’ve been known to take my kids out for coffee. The moment I let it slip, I felt like my skin had turned green and antennas were growing out of my head. “Coffee? You take your [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Oct 17
mama mondays: will walk for cake
This weekend, our church had its annual fall festival. Though we were unable to attend the first evening of the event, which included a family dance and hay rides, we did catch the Sunday turkey dinner and kids’ games. A lot changed up from past years. The bulk of kids’ activities took place outside under [...]
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