3 Things Pregnancy Is Teaching Me About Parenthood

By Guest Blogger Olivia Folmar Ard

Pregnancy Teaching Me Guest Post

Photo Credit: Bich Ngoc Le via Unsplash

“So, don’t hate me, but . . .”

It’s a conversation my husband and I have had about twenty times this pregnancy, usually about the name we’ll use if our baby is a girl. The formula is quite clear: we discuss the names on our shortlist and settle on a combination, and then a few weeks later, I start having doubts. Continue reading

When God Says Wait

by Guest Blogger Olivia Folmar Ard

When I was a child, the saying “slow as Christmas” actually meant something to me. For someone with a single digit age, the twelve months passing from Christmas to Christmas might as well be twelve years. I remember how slowly each day passed as I mentally counted down to the blessed holiday from New Year’s Day, spring break, summer vacation, and Thanksgiving.

Even during the month of December, I found it difficult not to squirm. Moving our little stuffed mouse from one day to the next on the cloth Advent calendar hanging on the door was physically agonizing. I couldn’t wait for Christmas and all the joy that day symbolizes, which in that season of my life meant lots of baked goodies, family get-togethers, and more gifts than I knew what to do with.

As I age, “slow as Christmas” means less and less to me. My life is so busy and filled with activity that by the time I pause to check the date, I am astounded by how much time has passed me by. I’m more likely to say, “Christmas again, already?” Continue reading

Everyone Has a Story to Tell: Author Interview with Olivia Folmar Ard

The Bennett Series (The Partition of Africa and The Marshall Plan) wonderfully captures young adulthood and the sometimes difficult process of maturation, when we discern fully who we are and what principles will guide us. Often, our convictions are tested for the first time. What about this stage of transition compels you to write about it?

I’m so glad that you mentioned this, and so early in the interview! It’s one of my favorite topics.

The Partition of Africa coverEven though nothing truly extraordinary happened to me while I was there, my time in college felt so turbulent. I went in as a smug seventeen-year-old know-it-all, and I was spit out four and a half years later with an engagement ring and no ideas for what I wanted to do next. During that time, I wanted more than anything to find a fictional character who was going through these generation-specific ordeals—marrying young in the twenty-first century, trying to find a job in a dried-up economy, dealing with the fact that a bachelor’s degree isn’t as valuable as it was twenty years ago. Continue reading