This happens every time I do a speaking event. Someone in the audience either reaches for a tissue or wipes their tears away. Sometimes, from the people in the front rows, I see tears puddle in their eyes. Maybe it’s because my topic is usually centered around my mother’s Alzheimer’s or my father’s dementia. Maybe […]
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When I first started freelancing, I wanted to set an attainable goal – something I could work for beyond the publishing credits and the paychecks. So I cleared off the top shelf of one of my bookcases and created a dream shelf. It was my goal – my dream to fill that shelf with my
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Most of my recent blog posts have centered around Mom and her Alzheimer’s journey, but years before Mom’s diagnosis – we faced a similar struggle with Dad and his dementia. Check out the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s here: http://bit.ly/AFg8SC On a cold November day, Dad decided to build a fire in the fireplace but
As I checked another day off my planner, I knew I needed to escape from the office and find something to refresh my spirit. Ice cream? Nah – not on the healthy eating plan. Chai tea? Nope – too late in the day for caffeine. So I drove to the one place where I knew
Finding Hope at Lowe’s Garden Center Read More »
The tagline for my blog reads, “Finding Hope When Life Unravels.” What an appropriate phrase for the brave people of Shawnee, Carney and Moore, Oklahoma! Last week, when tornadoes unraveled thousands of lives, reporters from all the major news arteries descended on the Sooner state. Pictures reminded us all to be grateful for the roofs
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On the last day of our Sabbatical weekend in Yoder, Kansas, we rise to worship and spend a few hours with the local body of believers. We are invited to the Journey Mennonite Church – a group of Christ-followers who share some of the Amish beliefs and ancestral beginnings. Simple values. The Bible as its
Within the respite of our sabbatical visit, we eat well, laugh and tell stories. My friends and I, on this girlfriend weekend in Yoder, Kansas – we catch up on twenty years of lifetimes with each other and without. Once we lived in the same town, worshipped together, hurt each other unintentionally and built a
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In the stillness of the morning, I meet with God – here at the Sunflower Inn in Yoder, Kansas. Two friends join me for this weekend away, this girlfriend time that also counts as my sabbatical from ministry. No flipping on the TV, no computer screen bleeping messages from cyberspace. Just my friends, God and
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Dear Mom, This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and I sent you a card. Hopefully, you will understand the words and remember who I am from my signature on the bottom. I wish I could be there with you, but since I can’t – please know that I love you and celebrate Mother’s Day with you.
LipReading Mom, aka Shanna Groves, was diagnosed with progressive hearing loss after the birth of her first child. She was 27. Since then, she and her husband have added two more children who provide creative fodder for her writing. Her books include “Lip Reader” and the just-released “Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom.” Through her
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