Every now and then, something strange happens when I look into the eyes of my nine-year-old daughter. I see her dad.

Sometimes I see him in her sense of humor. Other times it’s just a facial expression. But many times I've shook my head and said, “Wow, when you do that, you look just like your father.”                           

And then she beams.

Truth be told, Madison is kind of a daddy’s girl. Often, when faced with the choice of going in the van with me or riding in the truck with Curt, she’ll choose Curt. (And I've got a DVD player!)

Here’s the thing: she just loves spending time with the guy. And the more time she spends with him, the more she acts like him.  

As a Christian, I am called to be like my father – my heavenly Father. What does that look like? Well, Jesus is full of love, compassion, kindness, mercy, faith and truth.

Wow, that’s quite a challenge! How in the world can I make my life resemble His? I think I’ll start by taking a lesson from Madison. 

I’ll spend time with Him.

The other day I heard the song, “Live Like That” by Sidewalk Prophets. I think the words in the chorus sum it up pretty well:

I want to live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You
If love is who I am
Then this is where I stand
Recklessly abandoned
Never holding back
I want to live like that

What if people could look at my life and say, “Wow, when Sheri does that, she looks just like her Father.”

Yep, I want to live like that.

You've heard the term, "mommy guilt," right? I think all moms experience it - no matter what age your kids are. 

For me, it started early. I remember getting some guilt-inflicting questions immediately after giving birth to my first daughter. Questions like:

Did you give birth naturally or did you have an epidural?
Are you going to stay home with your baby or continue working? 
Do you plan to breast or bottle feed the baby? 

Even though my girls are older now, I still struggle with it! 

This week I'm talking about mommy guilt over at the Quad City Moms Blog. I'd love for you to join me over there. Check it out at: 

http://www.quadcitymomsblog.com/2014/02/17/guilt-trip/ 

Have a great (guilt-free) week!

Sheri

When I was a teenager, I had some crazy ideas of what real love might look like. I blame Days of Our Lives. I spent way too much time watching that show.

In my mind, real love was so romantic. It showed up with a dozen long-stemmed roses. It was butterflies when he smiled and hand-written love letters. It was starry-eyed looks from across the room. 

As you might guess, I had some pretty high expectations for my poor future husband. Especially on Valentine’s Day. 

But twenty years (and three kids) later, I have a much better understanding of what real love is. Here's a few examples, just off the top of my head:

• Real love blocks off time on his schedule to take his wife out to lunch every week.
  
• Real love cleans up the mess when a sick child didn't make it to the bathroom.
  
• Real love comes home from a business trip a day early … just because he can.
• Real love listens patiently to story ideas, blog posts and rough drafts.
• Real love helps our kids with Algebra homework because he knows how much his wife hates math.
• Real love turns the channel during Victoria’s Secret commercials.
• Real love spends his bonus check on a desk for his wife, instead of something on his own wish list. 

This Valentine’s Day I’m not expecting roses. They're too over-priced right now anyway. I am also pretty confident I won’t get a sappy love letter describing how “I complete him,” or how he loves me from the depths of his soul.

But that’s okay. Real love is alive and well in my marriage. 

This year for Valentine’s Day we’ll probably go out for dinner. Then he’ll simply say, “I love you.”

And you know what?

I’ll believe him.

A couple of weeks ago we traveled to Chicago for a gymnastics meet. This meet was a little different than usual because there were two levels of gymnasts competing at the same time. On one side of the gym we had the beginners, the level threes. On the other side were level tens, the most advanced gymnasts.

As always, I loved watching Madison compete. But as the day continued, I found myself gazing toward the other side of the gym. I couldn't help it. Those level tens were impressive. They flipped, twisted and twirled. They soared through the air. Every move demonstrated power, flexibility and grace.

As I compared both sides of the gym, a thought occurred to me. Every one of those level ten gymnasts was once a beginner. I couldn't imagine how many hours they’d worked at their sport. I’m sure it wasn't always easy. Certainly there were times they’d wanted to quit.

Curt leaned over and interrupted my thoughts.

“Look at Maddie.”

I glanced toward the middle of the gym where Madison’s small group waited their turn on the beam. Madison sat motionless, completely captivated. Must be inspiring to watch someone excel at something you’d like to achieve, I thought.

But kids aren't the only ones that need inspiration. I mean, don’t we all need someone to look up to?

Take writing for example. I marvel at how my favorite authors can string words together and create beautiful, captivating stories. I especially love to hear how they began their career.

A couple of years ago I had the privilege of meeting bestselling author, Debbie Macomber during the Guideposts Writers Workshop. (Great lady, by the way. Very down-to-earth.) One evening Debbie shared some of the obstacles she has faced in her writing journey.  

First of all, she has dyslexia. As a child, she struggled in school and didn’t even learn to read until the fifth grade. But Debbie loved telling stories and dreamed of becoming a writer. At age 30, Debbie wrote her first manuscript while at home with four small children. Money was tight, so she rented a typewriter. 

For five years she submitted her work, but received only rejections. Finally, she saved enough money to attend a writers’ conference. During the conference, one of her manuscripts was selected for critique by an editor from Harlequin. But the editor picked it apart and recommended she throw it away.

Well, Debbie didn’t throw it away. Instead she mailed it to one of Harlequin’s rival publishers. They bought it – and it became her first novel. Today she is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 100 novels.

During our time with Debbie, she gave us a tour of her offices. As we headed upstairs to her personal office, she stopped and pointed out a number of framed photos and quotes which hung on the wall – all people who have inspired her.

So, how about that? Even Debbie Macomber – one of today’s most popular authors –surrounds herself with people that inspire her!

You may not care to be a writer. Or a gymnast. But whatever your hopes and dreams, don’t give up. Keep working toward your goals – and keep looking to those who inspire you.