The Mix of Mother’s Day Emotions
On the cusp of this Mother’s Day, I remember my worst Mother’s Day. Sometimes, I still wake in a sweat, heart pounding, reaching for the phone. “I need to call my mom,” I think. And then, in an instant, I remember reality. I put the phone down on my nightstand. In 2022, My mother was […]
Finding Joy in the Garden of Disabilities and Special Needs
I kneel in my garden bed. It has been freshly tilled and spread with a layer of composted manure. We have an ample supply, given that we have four horses on our farm. As rust-breasted bluebirds flit to-and-from nearby nesting boxes, I’m thinking about raising vegetables, flowers, and kids with special needs for the past […]
The Mountains of Special Needs Parenting
In August, my husband Todd and I hiked the Highline trail in Glacier National Park. As the name of the trail implies, the path cut along the side of a mountain and was so narrow near the beginning that a thick wire cable drilled into the rock served as a handrail, lest a misstep cause […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
God’s Three Answers
The winter storm smacked us hard Monday night right before our youngest finished his shift at PetSmart. A twenty minute straight shot down I-43 should be nothing, right? But I’ve learned never to assume any trip will end well. A while ago, a woman who has worked as relief staff for our daughter’s assisted living […]
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 […]
Why Falling Flat is A Holy Experience
We call him Mr. Lime because he’s the brightest of all on the slopes, dressed in brilliant green to match his Burton board. He reminds me often that he’s not one of us. “I’m a BOARDER, Mom! Not a SKIER!” “Yes dear, you’re not like the other four of us. I forgot. Once again.” He […]
The Hazards of Hair
This Christmas, my hair took center stage. Not that it hasn’t just about every other day of my 58 years. So here, let me take you back in time and bring you up-to-date with some stories of hair horrors and how to head into the New Year on fire for the Lord. Tony Parlamos called […]
How To Be “Best-Dressed” This Christmas
Fifty-four years ago, a little girl with reddish curls sat beside the Christmas tree. She wore a blue corduroy robe with white piping her grandmother had made. A poodle with hair curly as hers smiled for the camera. Then, ripping the wrapping off a certain package, her blue eyes grew wide. Inside, she found her […]
Giving Thanks When Grief is Fresh on Thanksgiving
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his […]