I’m not one to decorate for Christmas in October, but this year I casually suggested we buy our tree early. My heart has been aching for Christmas. I don’t mean the cookies, lights, or parties (although I certainly love those things). I mean I’m longing for Jesus. I need the soul reminder that a Savior came to save us. I’m yearning for hope in my ...
September 11th can never be experienced in the same way. It’s a day we remember, and it’s a day we mourn. But for me and my family, this day marks another painful anniversary as well… It was the day our baby was supposed to be born. We were anxious to try for another little one. God had given us a gorgeous baby boy three years earlier, but ...
The holiday season seems to be the busiest time of the year. I don't think we intend for it to be that way, but it happens. We want so desperately for this time to be focused on quality time with our loved ones, but then in the blink of an eye, it's over. Often we don't know where the time went or if it was meaningful. I get caught up in the hustle ...
It is the time of year that I most dread. As soon as the leaves exchange glorious green for the warmth of red, yellow, orange and brown, I reluctantly peek around fall’s corner to see Christmas barreling towards me. My inner serial monologue begins with a long dread-filled exhale: Here come those shorter days and longer nights, and the inevitable ...
We prayed for all the things people pray for when facing a situation like ours. We prayed for wisdom for the doctors, for God to guide their hands, for protection. We prayed my husband would make it through this complicated, long, and risky surgery. We prayed for a miracle. And we received it. Doctors found my husband had a giant brain aneurysm ...
"Oh Mom, I just love this magical time of year. It's so cozy with lights, hot chocolate, movies and our special family traditions!" My heart warmed as I agreed with our youngest daughter. So when our Sunday school moderator asked me as their Mentor Mom, "How do you keep the Christmas story fresh for your children?" I knew he didn't mean, ...
“No one understands me.” It’s a phrase nearly all of us have uttered or thought at one time or another. Perhaps we shouted it in our teenage years as we grappled with hormones and schoolwork and parents who just didn’t get it. Or maybe we exclaimed it as students, when we received a grade lower than we thought we’d earned on an essay. It could ...
The mammogram room. The one place on earth where I feel utterly out of control and well, exposed. If you haven’t had one yet, don’t worry; it’s not so bad. It’s about as pleasant as you would imagine. For the uninitiated, try this to get a similar effect: Strip down in kitchen, open refrigerator door, insert one breast, allow strange woman to slam ...
I zipped my suitcase tight with everything I needed for the weekend but forgot one thing. I looked at my husband and confessed, “I can’t remember why I signed up for this.” Why was I flying across the country to spend several days at a conference with Christian women? Hadn’t I learned my lesson? Some of my favorite memories are with women ...
Was I missing out? Perched on the concrete ledge of the switchback, I gazed over the expanse of green grass against the clear blue sky and the shallow riverbed glistening in the brilliant sunshine. The river mesmerized as it curved and then stretched out, basking in the sun for miles. Only moments before, I made the tough decision to stop. I ...
