Coffee Time Reflections with Silvia Escobar

I once heard someone say that our discontent lives in the space between expectation and reality. Absolutely! Whether it’s marriage, parenting, friendships, work or anything else we expected to go better than it did—disappointment shows up when we face that gap. So what do we do with it? Here are some thoughts. Evaluate your expectations.Not… Continue reading When Reality Doesn’t Match What You Hoped For

On our 20th anniversary, I realized something that felt monumental to me — I had officially been married longer than I had been single. We married when I was 19. Two weeks after our 20th anniversary, I turned 40… and was surprised with not one, but two birthday parties that year. The third decade of… Continue reading The 4 Stages of 40 Years of Marriage (21-30)

There is a word that has been on my mind: capacity. In general, capacity is the maximum amount that something can contain. There are objects that can never expand and their capacity remains the same—like a glass bottle or a pan. Other things depend on our creativity to arrange what goes inside them. A dishwasher,… Continue reading Your Capacity Is Growing(Even When It Feels Like Too Much)

Last week I began sharing what 40 years of marriage has looked like for us, one decade at a time. Today, we move into years 11–20. If I had to describe this stage in one word, it would be BUSY. These are the years when life feels full in every direction. Expenses peak. Activities multiply.… Continue reading The 4 Stages of 40 Years of Marriage (Years 11–20)

As a person of faith, I have a quiet time every day in which I journal the reading of the day. The Book of Proverbs is one of my favorite books to journal about. It is full of wisdom and practical steps. For example, Proverbs 15:4 says, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree… Continue reading Do our words really have power?

Arturo and I shared a Valentine’s message at the church of dear pastor friends. We divided our 40 years of marriage into four stages — one decade at a time. Over the next four weeks, I’ll share each stage. If you’re married or in a long-term relationship, I’ll likely touch on the season you’re living… Continue reading The 4 Stages of 40 Years of Marriage (Part 1)

In Superman III, Ross Webster is asked why he wants to destroy the opposition when he already has so much. His answer: “It is not enough that I succeed—everyone else must fail.” That line stuck with me when I first heard it in 1983. I didn’t have language for it then, but today we recognize… Continue reading Is it true that I must fail so you can win?

Have you thought about homeschooling your children but don’t think you can do it? I had the opportunity to homeschool our 6 children for 25 years, and I can tell you there are many misconceptions that prevent people from homeschooling their kids when they really want to. Once, I had a conversation with a mother… Continue reading YOU CAN HOMESCHOOL EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT A TEACHER

I am a student of time; mostly because I have a real fear of wasting it. For as long as I can remember, I have given the choices in front of me too much thought in order to make the best decision that will waste the least amount of time. So when I started reading… Continue reading Don’t confuse activity with accomplishment.

My dad was born in Cerritos, San Luis Potosí, a small town where his single mother raised six children. He left school early to work and help support the family. From the stories he told us growing up, two things were always clear: he never wanted to work for someone else, and whatever business he… Continue reading When My Dad Bought a House