Holding True Hope
I write a lot about hope. I suppose it’s because I’m a huge believer in hope. As a former therapist and now as a life coach helping women deal with loss and grief, I know how shattering life can be and the necessity for holding onto hope. I think about hope this morning, when I […]
When Life Crushes Your Heart
While walking along the Atlantic Ocean, I spot an auburn-haired beauty bending, kneeling, spreading her hand on the sand. Is she simply imprinting her palm? Or is she holding the hand of God? Maybe she’s doing both. Because the God who can bind the chains of the Pleiades and loosen Orion’s belt (Job 38:31) knows […]
Hope Instead of Despair and Peace Instead of Fear
Our guide called Tarangire National Park the “Garden of Eden” for elephants. Rashid told us these elephants never leave their “Garden of Eden”. They don’t have to. Everything they want and need is right there. As we rambled through the “Garden of Eden”, we saw elephants gathering under sprawling acacia trees, finding shelter from […]
Redemption of Mother’s Day: How to Heal Your Hurts
About two hours after Mother’s Day ended, my mother died in her bed of a massive heart attack. She was 65. Mom called her doctor, only hours after I talked with her the morning of that special day. He told her to get to the hospital ASAP after hearing her symptoms—profuse sweating, vomiting, shoulder pain. […]
Finding Meaning & Hope in Life’s Burns
On a sunny spring morning with nearly no breeze, I stood in the still-dormant grass of the ditch just a half-mile up from our home. I watched that old, white farmhouse burn. Flames swirled orange out of every window and door. I felt the heat on my face from across the street. Our 25-year-old son […]
I Didn’t Want a Different Dream
My friend and fellow author, Jolene Philo, runs a helpful website dedicated to special needs kids and their caretakers. I’ve read all her books and have found her knowledge extremely helpful on my own journey in caring for special needs kids that led to my own special needs. After 21 years (this month) of caring […]
Pieces of Eden: How to Find Joy in the Midst of Grief
This morning, Nick found the limp body under a young pine by the horse riding arena. Rose stood at a distance, guilty, while Nick examined the fawn. Lifeless. Still warm. How can a dog I love so much do such a terrible thing? We’re not in Eden anymore. I am sad. The poor doe who […]
Loving and Forgiving Our Mothers this Mother’s Day
Hi Friends! I’m over at Jolene Philo’s Different Dream blog today for a special Mother’s Day piece I wrote. Hope you’ll join me there (link below). You won’t want to miss the surprise ending. Here’s the beginning: “Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!” “You sent me flowers! They’re gorgeous! But you told me you weren’t going to […]
When You’re Broadsided and Bewildered
At 6 PM, Saturday night, a middle-aged man with shoulder-length shaggy hair approached Nick with a question. “How many angel fish can I have in my 60-gallon tank?” Nick gave him the answer he learned from his PetSmart training staff. “For a 60-gallon tank, we recommend no more than 4 angelfish because they are territorial […]
The Pain of Self-Harm
Yesterday, I sat in a chair with my left arm propped up on the examining table. The orthopedic surgeon swabbed the injection site with iodine while I looked away and grabbed the nurse’s hand for support. The doctor warned me the injection would be painful. In went the needle, clear down to the bone. I […]
Silver Hair and Wisdom Hard-Won
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV I sit across from him at our favorite Italian restaurant, waiting for our pizza to come out of the wood-fired oven behind […]
Coming Home
There’s so much I don’t know. So many questions. My head can swirl dizzy and drain right away lost until there’s nothing left. There’s peace in the letting go and asking myself again and again, “Who am I to know the mind of God?” Of course, I know the answer. My index finger runs gently […]