Most mornings exercising in my neighborhood includes exchanging greetings with the same handful of people. We all walk the same circle at our own pace. I relish any morning walk, but a snowy winter followed by a rainy spring made this year’s summer mornings even more inviting. Yet something was missing this summer. Last year…
I was caring for some of my young grandchildren when a squabble broke out between siblings. I don’t recall what I suggested to resolve the dispute, but my granddaughter was adamant in her reply: “Grandma, that’s not part of our culture.” Her culture? She was seven years old! Her parents weren’t home for me to…
I first read the term placemaker on Christie Purifoy’s Instagram account. Not long after, she wrote in a blog post, “When I say I am a placemaker, I am speaking of my life purpose, not only a season of life. I am also other things. A writer. A gardener. But for me these roles are…
Choosing compassion is sometimes easier said than done. At least, it is for me. As an editor, I sometimes find myself critical of a published book I know was edited. I wonder why, in my opinion, it wasn’t edited better. Didn’t the editors care? Then I remember that the raw manuscript might have been rougher…
Tigist invited me into her home in Ethiopia because I was—and still am—her American sister/sponsor. When my heart was stirred toward orphan prevention, my girlfriends joined me, we pooled our money, and I earned the opportunity to be Tigist’s honored guest. The inequities of our lives churned inside me during our visit. Our two birthplaces…
Most of us know someone who struggles with their health. Perhaps they’ve been diagnosed with a physical chronic illness, or they struggle daily with their mental health. As their friend, we seek to love and serve them in their suffering. But how often do we remember their children? Three ways children can suffer when their…