A year or so ago I went to visit a friend who had just lost her son. I felt like I was to share two things with her. One was private, just for her ears. The other was “We all grieve differently. You can grieve any way you want so long as you don’t sin.”…
What if eating healthy food, getting off the couch, going outside, and moving a bit isn’t just about living longer? What if God knew every one of your days before one of them came to be? What if He determines the number of your days? What if self-care isn’t just about being more emotionally stable?…
So. Yesterday I was reading Numbers. Aaron, Moses’s brother, climbed a mountain and died. I’m sure this is a sign that we should never climb mountains. Or even small hills. Just to be safe. (Just a bit of humor for your day.) Seriously, though. This got me to thinking. Others often believe if they understand…
At ten weeks there was no heartbeat. My doctor ordered an ultrasound. They found no baby. The baby whose heartbeat we had heard a week before was gone. I was cramping and bleeding. Not enough to be life-threatening, but definitely uncomfortable and definitely something to monitor. My doctor was slow to order a D&C in…
Dear Musician friends, I’ve heard many of you play. I’ve been to your performances. You are very talented. You must practice often. I know you do. Sometimes you practice for an hour or more each day. Sometimes you practice alone, sometimes with a few other musicians. Have you considered spending time one day each month…
In the past couple of days I’ve received phone calls, messages, and texts from half a dozen women who need comfort, help, or love. Some of them I hadn’t heard from in months or years. I like them all. They are wonderful ladies. Here is a conversation between my husband and me: Me: It’s like…
Day four of breathing treatments. I don’t have asthma, but since a short bout with pneumonia ten years ago, when I get a respiratory infection I need breathing treatments. It rarely happens, but when I do get this kind of sick, it can be scary. I have one now. I’ve had it since Sunday night.…
The past few weeks I’ve wanted vengeance. I confessed my weaknesses and need for help. Friends prayed. One rebuked me (in love). My attitude changed. Not by my will, but, I’m sure, because of friends who love me. Now I want to be a minister of reconciliation. This is what I wanted at the beginning…
Even in hard times, we can choose gratitude.
I’d forgotten this truth until a woman reminded last week. She chose gratitude in her grief. She encouraged me to do the same.
I’ve been in a battle since early July. On the outside it looks like a simple legal battle, but it is really much more. I am battling with people over something very important; the outcome of the battle will affect me and others I care about for many years. There is no winning in this…
