by Marlena Fiol | Jun 21, 2017
I roll over and stare at the alarm clock on our bedside table. 4:30. Groaning into my pillow, I try unsuccessfully to drown the heavy snoring of my sick-with-a-cold husband who lies next to me. Finally I give up on sleep and slide off my side of the bed. I…
by Marlena Fiol | Jun 7, 2017
My good Mennonite parents (especially my father) were anti-materialists and anti-consumerists to an extreme. They firmly believed that God only asked for them to be obedient and humble in doing His will. He would take care of the rest. And they lived their lives accordingly. “We don’t need curtains. Just…
by Marlena Fiol | May 24, 2017
When I started and then stopped writing this blog over four years ago, my husband and I were estranged from three of our four middle-aged children. Each of them found something about us unacceptable, and the “somethings” were different in each case. “But you were always a good parent,” my…