No one wants to look older than they really are. No one. Let’s face it—the world tells us gray hair is a sign of old age. It’s not associated with being young and beautiful. And we go to great extremes to stop this unavoidable path.
I was only twenty-two when I spotted my first white hair. Yes, white! No gradual grays for me. I was horrified. Continue reading “A Crown of Glory”
A girl begins to dream and plan her wedding from very young. She wears a long skirt and drapes a lacey curtain over her face, imagining a wedding gown and veil.
The flowers are everywhere. The sparkling white lights. Walking down the aisle in a gorgeous gown as everyone gazes upon her beauty. Standing beside her soulmate, her best friend, her Prince Charming. How magical and beautiful her big day will be.
And then there is reality. Continue reading “A Girl Dreams”
We tend to approach life’s challenges like battles. They are intimidating or possibly they don’t seem worth fighting so we’re tempted to completely avoid the battle. Or perhaps we fight—bringing our best efforts and weapons—only to fall short. We blame ourselves for not having prepared enough. We retreat—licking our battle wounds—as we ask ourselves what we did wrong and how we can come out on top next time.
But some of our greatest battles aren’t won through blood, sweat and tears. They aren’t won by overpowering or outnumbering the enemy. And they aren’t won by our strategic attack. Continue reading “Show Up and Let God”
I stand before a mountain. It’s tall. It’s humungous. It’s impossible. “Move, mountain,” I command. But I cannot simply expect the mountain to move. And I do not hold the power to simply pick it up and move it. I must Continue reading “Look At That Mountain!”
No one wants to hear the word progressive. It has the ability to immediately steal our happiness and rob our abilities and time. Continue reading “But God…”
There is only one path in this life. It’s the one which leads to Christ. He is our motivation. He is the purpose for our existence. But it takes little for us to get sidetracked.
We’re walking easy one day—following Christ—when all the sudden a tree falls in our path. It knocks Continue reading “God is Throwing Stones at Me”
We naively base the future of our marriage on the pure joy we feel as we stand next to that amazing person and claim them as our own. How could life possibly be difficult? I’m with the person I love.
But marriage is not a quiet lake. Continue reading “I Still Do”
We all walk lonely journeys. Each is unique. But one thing they all have in common: they can build walls that separate us from others. They can complicate family units. And they can even destroy marriages if not careful.
Somehow it seems harder when the journey involves your child. They unintentionally isolate. They can break friendships and rob us of meaningful time with others.
Some have very specific opinions about what they see in your child. Others have no clue and form their own conclusions about the situation. Some disagree with the way you’re handling it. Some are simply uninformed. Some may want to help but aren’t sure how or even what to say.
Please, don’t walk away from those who are hurting in their lonely journey. It’s hard to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, but try to understand. Research their struggle if you can; ask them questions; be a support and encouragement. Don’t just turn away from them. You might be the only one who hasn’t.
I wasn’t sure how much to share in this blog. How much exposure is helpful? Is it fair to my son? But, if it makes a difference or helps another to understand or be understood, then—to me—it’s worth the sacrifice.
“He came out screaming and hasn’t stopped; it’s just changed.” This is what I told a doctor this week about my son.
Continue reading “The Lonely Journey: What I Want You To Know”
A typical day in my house could certainly be described as challenging, but this week was incredibly rough. Seriously, someone must have snuck my boys crazy pills! Even their mealtimes included chucking food and shoving macaroni noodles up their nose. And snorting, because noodles can certainly be confused with teeny-tiny snorkels in each nostril!
Early this week, I had a doctor’s appointment. Because of the extra rough week, I was never so excited for an appointment. But instead of hearing what I expected, it bore concerns. It’s easy to allow humanness to cloud a perspective. It’s easy to jump into the future, with fear and apprehension, focusing on my past losses, and allow my future to grow grim.
To add to my burden, we are experiencing new financial pressures. And grief, once again, has placed its sorrowful cherry on the top of my gloomy little dessert. Continue reading “God’s Not Dead”
Nearly every day my son shares with me things from school which burdens a mother’s heart. The other day I was incredibly distraught over a specific incident, so wishing my dad was here. He would be the one I talked to about this. He had been there before – having raised five children, three of whom were boys – and I know would have given godly advice.
But he’s not here anymore. The overwhelming sadness escaped and rolled down my face.
I longed for the fatherly advice. Should I ask my oldest brother who is an experienced father of three boys? Should I ask my brother-in-law who also has three older boys? Continue reading “Fly, Little Bird”
Foose Bits 