MSI Press Blog

  When Lizzie was offered the chance to skip first grade, I sought counsel from a professor of gifted and talented education. My concern wasn’t academics—it was social development. He reassured me, citing both research and experience, that if she was intellectually ready, she’d be socially resilient enough to manage the transition. So, she skipped. And he was right. The only social friction she encountered came from her classmates not quite understanding her academic passions. Still, they humored her—letting her lead them into scientific explorations that were far beyond the curriculum. Her delight at receiving a college-level genetics textbook for Christmas in fourth grade confirmed her oddness, but her enthusiasm for building a rocket launcher in the backyard was contagious. That is, until I shut it down. Maybe some mothers wouldn’t mind a backyard rocket launcher. I just wasn’t sure I wanted one in mine. Years later, Lizzie had the opportunity to skip seventh grade. Again, sh...

  Second grade at St. Alphonsus was no joke. It was a stretch academically—and financially. We chose Catholic school because it offered more challenge than the local public school, and we could just barely afford it. Tuition checks were written with prayer and crossed fingers. At home, we were transparent about money. Lizzie, precocious and perceptive, absorbed more than we realized. One day, her math teacher—a sweet sister with a chalkboard and a mission—wrote the problem: 23 - 35. She asked the class, “What’s wrong with this problem?” expecting a chorus of “We copied it wrong!” Her point: slow down, be careful, copy accurately. But Lizzie had other ideas. She raised her hand and said, “Maybe the problem is forgetting the negative sign, when you write the answer, -12.” The sister blinked. Negative numbers were not on the second-grade syllabus. She replied gently, “There is no such thing as negative numbers.” Lizzie, ever the truth-seeker, tilted her head and asked, “Well...

Precerpt from  Raising God’s Rainbow Makers (Mahlou) How Noelle Got Her Name When Noelle was born, Lizzie was four—our only child at the time, waiting at home with the babysitter while her baby sister was being airlifted 250 miles south to San Antonio for urgent care. Noelle had arrived with spina bifida, and the specialized treatment she needed wasn’t available in San Angelo. We were part of the hippie generation, drawn to names that danced outside the lines. So we chose  Anemone Esther —a name as delicate and wild as a sea flower, full of meaning to us. We filled out the birth certificate with care, believing we’d chosen something beautiful. But when we got home and told Lizzie her sister’s name, she burst into tears. “You can’t name her that,” she sobbed. “I hate it.” We asked why. “Because I can’t say it!” she wailed. Fair enough. So we asked her what name she’d choose. “Noelle,” she said promptly. “I like Christmas music.” And just like that, Anemone Esther became Noelle....

  Precerpt (excerpt from book prior to publication):  Raising God's Rainbow Makers  (Mahlou) Lizzie's Birth, part 1 Angel: Good morning, Lord. I see you looking down toward the earth with particular attention to a little town in Montana. Why? God: A little girl is about to be born. Angel: Why does that merit special attention? God: There will be a few complications in the birth: the doctor is out of town, and the doctor on duty has never handled these complications. Angel: But they are not that serious, right? He will manage them, right? God: Yes, of course, he will. I just want to provide a little guidance, give him a little sense of security, just in case. You know, this little girl is going to be the big sister of rainbow makers, and you know that My rainbow makers are very special to Me. I watch over them carefully. Angel: Yes, I do know that. But, wait, why are You now looking at me in that special way that always tells me that You want me to get involved, too. God: ...