Hope. I want it. I search for it. I try to hold onto it when I find it. During Christmas, I sing, teach, greet, write, and listen to pastors speak words of hope. Yet, in
Read moreFinding Hope
Tag: death
Pain, Pranks, and Prayers
Another year, another loss. The waves of sorrow and pain come and go, from gentle swells to emotional monsoons. Some we can predict. Others come out of the blue. Pain Follows Pain My forty-two-year-old nephew
Read moreI AM
Jesus is and forever will be the great I AM. When we hunger for truth and purpose for being, I AM the Bread of Life. When darkness surrounds, and we search for a guide,
Read morePlay It Again
“Play It Again,” captures bittersweet memories and emotions of family and friends who gathered at our house on Friday or Saturday nights. The men played music. Women talked and laughed. We children played outside until
Read moreLesson of the Leaves
He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6b). We’d waited… and waited. Then, just like that–the pop of western North Carolina color. Suddenly, the mountains were awash in watercolor beauty. We walked, talking
Read moreThrough It All
The world stopped along with my husband’s heart. Yet, love surrounded us through it all. With one voice mail and a call to church, support appeared at the hospital before we arrived. Waiting, praying,
Read moreEaster Vigil When You Don’t Feel Like Celebrating
“It’s a Celebration!” “For some,” I wanted to say. But I didn’t want to be seen as a downer, or as though I didn’t appreciate the significance of this special day. So, I merely tried
Read moreThe Crushing
I had read many papers, but the crushing she described stood out among the rest. Unfortunately, teachers don’t always know or get involved in the details of their students’ lives. And I hadn’t in hers.
Read moreLesson of the Leaves
WAITING We’d waited… And waited. Then, just like that, the pop of western North Carolina, and the mountains were awash in watercolor beauty. The waiting was over. WALKING We walked, talking some, laughing. Mostly, the
Read moreI Need You to Be Okay Without Me
This post is about my dog. And about so much more than my dog. It’s also about me, and possibly you, too. When the pandemic hit, I was one of the lucky ones. Through a
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