I didn’t get married in June. The sky threatened snow and the lace I wore on my long-sleeved wedding dress failed to block out the cold of an early January day. Looking back, there were a few things I would have done differently. With limited resources it wasn’t possible, but had I been able to…
Putting a pen to paper and writing down the things I am grateful for, thankfulness has been at the top of my “essential for survival” list. These are difficult days for so many, and while I am blessed that my life has not been altered financially (yet!) and I have no serious health issues, I…
I will never get used to it. I refuse to call it the “new normal.” Because it’s not. It’s not normal to avoid people or to cover your smile. While I have to accept it, I still struggle. This is a battle that I wrestle with in my mind–the “what ifs” and the “how longs”. …
A fascinating part of humanity’s very existence is the presence of gravity. Gravity is defined as the fundamental force that pulls us toward the center of the earth; technically, it is what keeps us grounded. In conversation, the use of the word denotes a seriousness or even heaviness of a situation. While gravity is…
Until just recently, the only books written on a pandemic were history books and science fiction novels–neither of which seemed to include “HOW TO SURVIVE” instructions for future generations to follow. It seems to me that there are often two choices involved when we are faced with a situation that we know little to nothing…
Waiting is often seen as a unwelcome necessity. Time spent in line, in traffic, or in a doctor’s office is viewed as empty moments that are wasted. The allotted time acceptable for a wait is often preconceived and determined only by our own expectations. Though the clock ticks at the same pace 24 hours a…
I’m not very good at waiting. Especially when I am in not in control of the wait. One of life’s necessities, waiting will sometimes take us down a hard road that affects us emotionally. Fear, frustration, anger, or anxiety can become our new normal, and despite our best efforts we struggle to see the good.…
Standing on the precipice, I am paralyzed by the sound. ~~~ Unable to move or even think, the waves of fear and grief crash over me like a tsunami. ~~~ Overpowering. Taking over and completely subduing, submerging. ~~~ Drowning, I can see through the crystal clear water that wants to fill my lungs with death:…
“What next?” I don’t often start my mornings with such questions on my mind. I often am startled awake before dawn and make a beeline for a programmed coffee pot stirring my senses with steaming hot goodness. My day starts with coffee and prayer. I have a typical spot to settle as I seek the…
Stopping to consider the lessons I’ve learned from my opportunities to travel, my perspective on being an American has changed. I came to realize that I thought was gratitude, was actually a form of pride. Gratitude or pride? I don’t think it was intentional, and at best it was subtle, but this sense of pride…
No matter how dark the night, despite what the future may hold, the voice that I hear whispers a tune.. right into my soul. The music is all around us. Can you hear it? In the quiet I am surrounded by the sweet sound of birds outside my window. Oblivious to the human condition these…
A dying art, the handwritten letter is slowly but surely being replaced by emails and texts. I confess, I just am as guilty of letting this age-old practice diminish in my own life; and yet, reading Paul’s letter to his young charge Timothy in my Bible, I am inspired to write a few of my…
Sometimes saying “yes” to God is the most difficult step we take in obedience. Other times it comes easily, and our response is followed by a joy-filled freedom to step out in faith. What do we do when saying yes is a struggle? “No, Lord” is not an option–it’s a contradiction; and yet, if we…
“All a man’s ways seem right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the motives.” Proverbs 16:2 We plan. We prepare. We shoot our visionary arrows into the future and pray they land at least somewhere near the intended target. But God. He sees. He knows where we have been and where we are…
More than beautiful presents wrapped in paper and bows, the gift of Christmas begins with a baby in a manger, swaddled in cloth and sleeping in a manger bed. The gift of Christmas came. Heralded by angels, He entered the world He created, in a stall built for animals; all of creation crying, “Hail the…
