A national magazine asked me to write an article about becoming emotionally overwhelmed. So I hammered out 1600+ words. Yet, even as I wrote, another reminder of self-care interrupted my busy life. It has taken me so many years to write this truth and believe it: Self-Care is a spiritual discipline. Somehow we think if […]
Hope Embraces Self-Care Read More »
Today is the day I have been dreading, yet looking forward to its arrival. July 16. One year since my friend Deb stepped into eternity. I have dreaded this date because of the following: Memories will unavoidably reoccur—scenes from the ICU, holding her hand even as it grew colder, wishing and praying she could wake
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Sometimes it takes only one change to find hope. One of my friends made one change in her diet. She stopped drinking soda and lost ten pounds. One change gave her a healthier body. For writers, if we change one thing in the narrative, we can affect the entire story. For example, if the Wizard
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Throughout the years, she has been pictured as the “not enough” woman. Not enough faith, not enough like her sister, not enough commitment to stop everything and listen to Jesus. Yet, I like her. Martha. Legend says she was a wealthy widow, and it was her home in Bethany where she cared for her
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The visual was perfect. For each grief experienced, the group leader added another Lego to the crystal bowl. Griefs piled up as various women listed them: miscarriage, deaths, loss of a dream, divorce, infertility, unemployment, sexual assault, moving, rejection, feeling misunderstood, loneliness, the aging process, a husband’s infidelity, the illness of a child, et cetera.
When Hope Needs Help Read More »
A copy of the Serenity Prayer is posted on my refrigerator. Such a beautiful reminder of the seasons of life. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” Wisdom was a frequent prayer as I worked in various
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A tiny blip of memory – gone – then back. No reason why, but there it is again. The sweetness of a moment shared with my father-in-law all those years ago. For some reason, Jake and I always finished getting ready for church before the rest of the family. So we had 10-15 minutes to
Hope Rests in the Memory of Music Read More »
The following is a guest post by Laney Wind. I am honored to invite Laney as a guest – a woman who embraced her courage and escaped from domestic violence. Her memoir, “Escaping the Knight in Dirty Blue Jeans” is now available on Amazon. As I stand in my kitchen, the faces on the fridge
No Regrets in Hope Read More »
A friend and I were talking recently about changing expectations. By now, we expected certain things in life to have occurred. Situations such as: The house paid for – free and clear Our children settled and happy A lifetime of marriage to draw on – the happily-ever-after dream (cue the Disney music) Plenty of retirement
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We planned it as a wonderful family weekend in Branson, and I looked forward to a leisurely drive through eastern Kansas and western Missouri. What I did not realize—until it was too late—was the massive fear-mongering I would face at the end of the journey. Although I grew up a tree climber, I have developed
Hope Conquers the Unseen Hills Read More »