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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Throughout this series about the LDC, I often alluded to the importance of prayer. My personal intercessory team lifts me up in prayer before every trip to Oklahoma. My siblings know people in their churches, their cell groups and their networks who pray for them. Certainly, we all pray for Mom. I pray that she …
Living with Alzheimers and/or dementia causes a host of emotions—especially for caregivers. Mom’s emotions aren’t that difficult. She lives in a contented land where all she has to worry about is where she put her teeth during the night and can she find her underwear the next day. Even then, somebody helps her with those …
Since I am an author, I’m constantly looking into how research builds hope. Plus, “The Unraveling of Reverend G” and the rest of the books in my series deal with Alzheimers and dementia. So research is a must. I find it easy and enjoyable to do research. I study everything I can find about caregiving, …
A pocket of time separates Good Friday and Easter Sunday – a day we often ignore because we don’t celebrate that day – we just wait. We live through Saturday, anticipating Sunday. After the execution of Jesus, the disciples – both men and women – huddled together in fear. At least one of them, Peter, …