How do you handle your big milestone birthdays? Are they days to be concealed or celebrated? As I approached another “big one”, an unexpected surprise on the shores of Lake Michigan along with childhood memories, brought inspiration and peace.
Read MoreWhile I had some ideas for how I’d spend my time in retirement, I looked forward to a blank slate. I figured once my days were free, I could explore the endless possibilities and decide which ones to pursue.
Unbeknownst to me, God had already drawn up some big plans and I was about to receive a message on that empty slate.
Read MoreOur theme song for the week has been, “And another one gone, and another one gone. Another one bites the dust!”
The four of us are isolating together, much like we did two years ago on Easter Sunday, when both of our girls were sent home from college in March 2020. Our bucket-list vacation followed by a five days of COVID isolation during the holiest week of the year, has spurred reflections on our ever-changing Easter traditions, and the ever-constant reason we celebrate.
Read MoreThe process of “self-improvement” is similar to my current “home-improvement”. The steps taken and struggles encountered in making over any aspect of our lives can be an all-consuming journey. But if we follow through with the project, the end result is so satisfying!
Read MoreNow that we’re older (and hopefully wiser), let’s reset our view. God’s Word is a great place to start, as the Bible is full of inspiration and instructions to keep our focus on “things above”. Here are six ways the Bible reminds us to look up–to find joy and hope–regardless of our age.
Read MoreMom’s heart of love pulled us in. As her memory and skills faded, as grief over the loss of Dad enveloped her, and as her body failed her, she never focused on herself or her suffering. Instead, she brought us together. We came to care for her, to protect her, and to love on her, as she had always done for us.
Read More…I poured out my own servant-love on my children. It was hard work and though I complained and often grew tired, fully giving of myself had its own rewards. I watched as my children grew, learned, and became less dependent on me.
Then the tables turned. As my children needed less of me, my parents needed more.
Read MoreWhat this is about is the right that every individual has to communicate. Our freedom of speech is so important that our forefathers included it in the first amendment to our constitution. Still, with rights come responsibilities. And it’s what we do with that right, with our gift of speech, that matters.
Read MoreJust as we begin each new year with goals and resolutions, it’s transformative to end an old year well; to reflect on what we’ve learned and how we’ve grown. We don’t always see blessings in the midst of challenges, but events become clearer as we look back.
As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20.
Read MoreThis is day four of my time in isolation. Day six since the onset of symptoms.
It was a matter of time. No matter how careful I was in wearing my mask and social distancing, I had seen the virus work its way into the lives of friends and family. It was relentless in finding any small opening in which to infect another unsuspecting soul.
Read MoreThe oak cross between the windows stood out against the wide green cloth behind it. The communion table, also draped in the green cloth of “Ordinary Time,” seemed anything but ordinary to me, as I recalled walking up to that table last March…
Read MoreYou know how it seemed like everyone was choosing a “Word for 2020” when January rolled around? Is it too late to jump on that bandwagon?
It may be cheating for me to pick my word of the year when the year is two-thirds over, but hey, I still have four months to make it my focus. And maybe I’ll carry it over to 2021, in which case I’m four months early! So I’m going for it.
Without further ado…
Read MoreEven though the tears have mostly dried up, at times the sadness envelops me and I feel that dull ache of emptiness. I often remember the mountaintop days of February 2020, and I’m astounded at how much I took for granted.
Read MoreOn their wedding day, Mom and Dad, like most young couples at the altar, made promises to each other. They committed to being faithful; to love each other “in sickness and in health…’til death us do part.”
They kept those promises for 64 years.
Read MoreWhen it’s all over, I want to remember how strange, different, and in many ways how beautiful, life was in 2020.
Read MoreOnce again, I find myself searching for the light. As a writer, I feel called to shed light and hope on situations that confound. But what should I do when I feel confounded myself?
As a person born into White privilege and with limited exposure to racial diversity, I find myself wanting to do something, but asking, “What? What can I do?”
Read MoreI wonder what good stuff I'm missing when I’m not paying attention.
During this unprecedented pandemic, we would all do well to pay attention to the good stuff. To put our devices and media and entertainments away and listen. To place productivity on pause and pray. To lay our anxieties and fears aside and practice mindfulness instead.
There is good stuff happening right now.
Read MoreToday, the 26th of March, was the day we would have boarded a plane for our dream vacation to Ireland and Scotland.
Obviously, that is not happening.
Just three weeks ago, our youngest daughter was studying abroad in Ireland and my husband and I were planning a grand trip to visit her. I busily mapped out our itinerary and made hotel and Airbnb reservations.
Then came the rumblings of a pandemic.
Read More
