Letting Go and Moving On
Published July 2014: The Messenger – Faith: A Fresh Take
Letting Go and Moving On
It’s always interesting to me the memories we hold onto as we get older. Some of them are near and dear to our hearts whereas others bring back the ping of pain in our guts as we remember every single vivid detail. I remember what it felt like to hold my daughter for the first time as if it was yesterday – not 16 years ago – and I can still feel the fear I felt when my son was born and refused to breathe for the first 30 seconds of his life.
Beyond the precious memories that warm our hearts and make us thankful for our gifts, those odd memories of events passed often stick with us, too, and sometimes, for way too long. Continue reading
Faults of Faith
Published June 2014: The Messenger – Faith: A Fresh Take
Faults of Faith
I have never claimed to be perfect and my children know this to be true first-hand. They see my faults on a daily basis. They will call me out when I mix up their sandwiches while packing lunches; they will gripe and moan because I’m always late — often while sitting in the garage waiting for me — and they, as teenagers, have no problem telling me when I roll through a stop sign or forget to turn on my signal.
My children know that I have faults; they see that I’m human, but more importantly, they recognize that I try my best. Continue reading
Hold the Plan and Live the Dream
Published June 2014: The Messenger – Faith: A Fresh Take
Hold the Plan and Live the Dream
I’ve always been a dreamer and a planner. I remember spending my days and nights in elementary school plotting out my career, my plans to perform on stage in front of thousands of people, and of course, marrying the most popular Cardinals’ baseball player at the time.
When I was in college, not a week went by when I didn’t review my degree checklist, plot out the classes I would take and update my resume like it was going out of style each day.
But, my plans weren’t perfect and inevitably, the plans changed. I didn’t sing on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans and I certainly didn’t marry a professional baseball player. Continue reading
A Little Bit of Freedom, A Lot of Faith
Published May 2014: The Messenger – Faith: A Fresh Take
A Little Bit of Freedom, A Lot of Faith
As a mother of two teenagers, I hear the question “Why don’t you trust me?” a lot. I get it — my kids want freedom. And yes, I do trust them. But, I’m finding it difficult to allow as much freedom as they crave, and I have to admit that I’m scared for them. Continue reading
Faith: More Than Meets the Eye
Published May 2014: The Messenger – Faith: A Fresh Take
Faith: More Than Meets the Eye
When I began my teaching career a little more than a decade ago, I always found it amusing to run into my college students at the mall, department stores or even the grocery store. They seemed shocked to see me out and about and not sitting behind a desk grading papers or instructing in front of a class. One time in particular I even heard one of my students whisper to her friend: “She wears jeans?” Continue reading
Parenting Requires an Underlying Faith in All We Do
Published April 2014: The Messenger – Faith: A Fresh Take
Parenting Requires an Underlying Faith in All We Do
Recently, I came across an article that outlined a national survey of 1,200 parents, conducted by LifeWay Research that concluded that faith is not a significant part of parenting for many adults. Although I’m not a fan of the validity of many surveys, the results were interesting and thought provoking. According to the survey,parents defined traits of successful parenting as children with good values (25 percent), children who develop into happy adults (25 percent), children finding success in life (22 percent), children who are deemed as “good people” (19 percent), those who graduate from college (17 percent), and those who live independently (15 percent). Continue reading
‘In Your Face’ Faith
Published March 2014: The Messenger – Faith: A Fresh Take
‘In Your Face’ Faith
If you would ask my kids about my parenting style, the phrase “in your face” would probably surface. I’m the type of parent who avoids sweeping anything under the rug. If my child appears to be upset, I’m going to drag it out of him, no matter how much he resists. If my daughter is cranky and snippy, I will harp on her until we get to the root of the problem. Continue reading
Identity Crisis: Making a Full Circle with Faith
Published March 2014: The Messenger – Faith: A Fresh Take
Identity Crisis: Making a Full Circle With Faith
When I was in 2nd grade, I wanted to be a teacher. The thought of holding that red pen and bossing a bunch of kids around seemed exciting to me. In 8th grade, I wanted to be Joan Jett, singing rock songs to a crowd of screaming fans. Continue reading
About Me
Three words to describe me? Passionate. Motivated. Curious. These traits help me as a college media adviser and professor, freelance writer, author and mom. From student journalism and higher education to parenting and freelance writing, this site, focused on writing, reflecting and teaching, offers a mix of blogs with a hint of humor, sarcasm, and inspiration, as well as my published stories on just about every possible topic.
Feel free to browse my sample works including feature news, magazine, and web copywriting pieces from the past and present. You can also pick up my new book “Screen-Free Fun: 400 Activities for the Whole Family” now available. Check back often for daily updates, blog entries, and additional stories. Feel free to contact me directly at shphilpott@gmail.com, follow me on Twitter, or grab tips for Screen-Free Fun on our Facebook page. Comments are welcome!
Shannon Philpott-Sanders 