Category: Parenting

What’s in Your Heart to Do?

  @nanamaryp hits 900

Getting dressed nine months ago, on September 16, 2025, I heard the Lord loud and clear. “Mary, I want you to go on TikTok and bless My daughters.” I was stunned. That was the last social media I wanted to be on. But then I thought, “How can anyone reach the younger generation, if you aren’t where they are?” I downloaded the app and posted my first 30-second video that very afternoon.

I have been faithful to His assignment. As @nanamaryp, I have posted daily with a thought, a prayer, or an encouraging word. Today, I reached 900 followers. 82% are female and 62% are between 18-34. To me, this is a huge milestone. Please understand I’m not writing this for accolades but out of concern for the younger generations. They need encouragement from we Baby Boomers.

According to George Barna and Arizona Christian University’s Research Center’s 2026 survey of Gen Z adults (ages 18-22) only 1% have a biblical worldview (defined as holding religious beliefs and behaviors consistent with biblical principles). This compares to 4% in 2018. Millennials have dropped from 6% in 2018 to 2% in 2026. [See Barna Group | Impact360Institute.org]

The Happiness Hump Flattens

According to a global study by economists published by PLOS One, mental health in the younger generations is declining. Think of happiness as a hump or a “U.” Normally, the young are happy, slump at middle age, but rebound thereafter. This global study showed the Happiness Hump is flattening, particularly with young people. The older generations are more resilient than the young ones. Remember, this was worldwide. [Source: Why Are Gen Z the Most Miserable Generation?] There is some good news! Church attendance and bible reading is increasing in Gen Z, especially young men. [Barna Group | American Bible Society]

What Can We Do?

    • Noah had a saw and hammer.
    • Abraham had a promise.
    • Moses had a staff.
    • Jael had a tent peg.
    • David had five smooth stones.
    • The widow had a small jar of oil.
    • Simon Peter had a fishing boat.
    • The Samaritan Woman had a water bucket.

“Then the LORD said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’”
Exodus 4:2

No matter what age you are, you still have gifts and talents that can encourage those who follow you. Moms, dads, and grandparents – your children may be grown up and moved away but your influence hasn’t diminished. Face-to-face interaction, encouragement, even a simple, “I see you” can begin a conversation that builds confidence and reinvigorates their destiny. Leave a legacy of love. Pray for them. And if the Lord puts an idea in your heart, follow your heart. Do it!

There’s a particular verse that spoke to me when I was forty. It has become a life-verse, a goal, and a prayer. May it speak to you as well. Each of us has a divine purpose to fulfill in our lifetime. Live your life without regrets. Do what you can do and let God do the rest.

For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation,
fell asleep, and was buried among his fathers…
Acts 13:36

Give a High 5 @ 5

5at5forMomsHasn’t this been a year? Yeah, you could say that again! It has been a year for moms like none other. As a mother and grandmother, I have seen the weariness on their faces, heard it in their voices, and frustration in their comments. My hat is off to moms who have tried to adapt to this Coronavirus pandemic and what it’s done to their family life and especially their children. And if you’re a working mom having to work from home, well, you’re a saint in my book. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has had to adapt and yes, make sacrifices, to keep peace in the home, hot meals on the table, clean sheets on the bed, and be a dr/nurse/playmate/teacher/cook –a what’s ever needed to their children.

My youngest turned 39 yesterday, so I’m way past most of you ladies now that I’m almost 70. As the oldest girl of 9 children, I had the benefit/blessing of being raised by a mom who knew how to organize and “line us up” to get things done. I’ll never forget her wisdom when I had my first child: “Mary, be prepared for the witching hour ’cause it will happen every night when you’re out of energy and done for the day. You’ll need to get a second wind.” All moms know what I mean–that fussy period in babies that starts about 5 o’clock when it’s time to get dinner on and yes, it lasts through dinner, through dishes, and through homework if you have older children.

Let’s Give Them a Hand & a Prayer

Sunday I did sheets and towels for one of my daughter-in-laws and yesterday, I dropped off some Costco frozen meals for a single mom of 4. Yes, I have the energy and time to do practical things. BUT, I believe the most significant thing I can do is the commitment I made yesterday to pray for moms and children at 5PM for 5 minutes. I’ve set my phone alarm to remind me. I’d like to put a challenge “out there” to any who read this. They need us now more than ever, especially with the school year beginning.

Nana’s Nudge:  Set your phone alarm for 5PM and pray 5 minutes for moms, children, and teachers.
Nana’s Songs:  Joy  |  All Things Possible  |  God Bless All the Little Children
Nana’s Prayer: Father, thank You for blessing us with our children. We look to You to watch over our families. Strengthen mothers, bring Your peace into our homes, calm our fears so that we can be confident for our children. Holy Spirit, we ask for Your fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to increase in our lives. May there be a special grace given to mothers of special needs children. Amen.