Decisions

Living By The Clock

February 28th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

Try setting your timer for five minutes.

Siri Suggestion

My husband laughed when Siri’s suggestion appeared on his smartwatch. I googled to learn about Siri suggestions. I found that Siri suggests what to do next based on routines and app usage. (Siri also suggests whom to invite to parties.)

While recovering from knee surgery, I was to walk five minutes per hour. I was to ice my knee for five minutes followed by five minutes of heat and a final five minutes of ice. Exercises and medicines had their allotted times. Recovery felt like a fulltime job living by the clock.

As to be expected from the above regiment, my husband regularly set his watch timer for five minutes. When he hadn’t one day, Siri noticed and nudged him. We weren’t off our routine but rather less stringent.

Living by the clock was annoying at best. However, all requirements needed for a successful recovery were met. Before Siri’s suggestion, I had pondered how many neglected emails and phone calls might be finished if I set a timer to meet a goal.

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. William Penn

Parenting, Relationships

Please Tuck me In

February 21st, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

One dear aunt reveals her worry about her retired daughter being single by asking “Who will bring her a cup of tea?” (See here.)

During a harder than expected recovery from knee surgery, I have received many cups of carefully brewed tea from the Night Nurse aka my oldest son. (My husband is the Day Nurse.) The tea, no matter how loving brewed, cooled, and lemoned, does not compare with being “tucked in.”

Don’t be deceived. The nerve block hadn’t worn off.

I appreciated my son carefully rearranging my pillows and pulling up my blankets after bathroom trips or medicine time. However, one day while reading, I was surprised at the impact this sentence had.

Will you come and tuck me in?

I was being tucked in by the Night Nurse. Children are regularly tucked in, but adults? And yet that was what was happening to me after I was up during the wee hours of the night. It was lovely.

I last remember tucking in my sons when the oldest was a tween. How sad. I wish I had known that one is never too old to be tucked in at night.

Who do you tuck in?

God's Faithfulness, Parenting, Relationships

We All Need Words to Pray

February 14th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

Sometimes I just don’t know how to pray for someone. Sometimes my prayers have gaps. (See here.)

Along the way, I learned that turning to hymns can help.

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me save that Thou art;

Thou my best thought by day or by night;

Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light.

Translated by Eleanor Hull 1912

During one prayer time, my friend Katie and I prayed Be Thou My Vision for each of our children. She recently reminded me that I had prayed it for her.

Be Thou (Name’s) vision O Lord of (her/his) heart;

Naught be all else to (her/him) save that thou art.

Thou (her/his) best thought by day or by night.

Waking or sleeping Thy presence (Name’s) light.

A few times we prayed a Psalm for our children, inserting their names.

No matter how lacking my prayers, the good news is that I’m not on my own. Jesus intercedes for me (Hebrews 7:25 and Romans 8:34) as well as the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26)

Do you have a favorite Psalm or hymn to pray?

Family

Family Language Pt.2

February 7th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

Our family language doesn’t always originate in “the wild minds of children.” (See here.) One day, I fretted over an incident. What was that far-away person, thinking?

Nothing can be known until Mr. Knightly returns.

My husband

I laughed. The tension was broken. Mr. Knightly is a character in Jane Austen’s novel Emma or, in my husband’s case, the movie. While Mr. Knightly is away, Emma frets over Mr. Knightly’s love interest. Emma’s former governess finally says, “Nothing can be known until Mr. Knightly returns.” My husband’s shortcut to making a point.

Movie quotes may not seem like familect, but it is. A friend’s family quotes Home Alone. I’ve seen that movie twice but don’t recognize any lines. Once, an in-law said, “She’ll be there by 10:30 tomorrow morning.” Seeing my blank stare, he added, “It’s from Runaway Bride,” and explained his joke, which of course, ruined it.

And there are the remembered conversations. After an elderly lady recounted a tale from her youth, the elderly man beside her laughed and said, “You tough lady,” which eventually became, “You funny lady.” My husband and I often repeat those words.  (Yes, I say “You funny lady” to my husband.)

Decisions

Playing Our Parts

January 31st, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

One man in his time plays many parts.

William Shakespeare

When I think about playing a part, I immediately think of memorizing lines. Until recently, I never thought about other aspects.

Now, I realize that a script gives actors a plan of action. Actors know when to enter and exit scenes. They know where to enter and exit—stage left or stage right. They know when to speak and when to be quiet. Unless their part intersects with another character, they ignore another’s role.

Why have I been considering parts? During the past three years, my husband and I have found ourselves involved in several life dramas. Many nightly prayers have included “Show us our part.”

We have chosen roles. Others have chosen for us. Which do we cast aside? Once we have chosen, when do we enter and exit?

One person wondered why others aren’t doing their part. They are. Friends and relatives have given support that is invisible to most. Prayers, a listening ear, and small services have lasting value.

May we all hold firm to the roles God has assigned us and cast aside the others.