In August of 1997, a “commencement speech” blew up the internet with its wisdom and sage advice, beginning with “Wear sunscreen.” These wise words were penned by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich. Her words were put to music and became an instant hit. I was particularly struck by the truth of one line the first…
“Grandpa has been sent to hospice.” The text message was simple and not unexpected. It came from my mom in the morning, and though saddened, I took it in stride. I continued my daily tasks as Mommy, with plans to visit my grandfather that evening. Just before heading over, I called my dad to get…
Wounded. That’s the word I would choose to characterize my heart this last year. At every turn, these twelve months have ushered in the breathtaking loss of hopes and dreams, expectations, relationships, and stability. I’ve said good-bye to more than I ever could have imagined. But amid great loss, God did an extraordinary thing in…
This is for the women who feel invisible on Mother’s Day. For the women starting to understand the role of “wife and mother” may never be theirs… For the women realizing the possibility of conceiving and giving birth might be reaching “only with a miracle” levels… For the women grieving little lives lost before they…
Many of us have been there. A situation forever alters the way we live. We cry out to God for mercy, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. Then the thought enters our minds that maybe God doesn’t care. Maybe it started on the first day of school when you had no one to…
I sat on the cold window ledge and leaned my forehead against the glass, looking out at the hospital garden. Brown earth, dried and brittle, had replaced the green of months before. I looked up at a bleak sky. Bare-branched trees broke solemn clouds. I dislike in-between spots, those adolescent-awkward, neither-here-nor-there, twilight zones of somewhere…