Big change is coming. I am readying you for it. I first heard the whisper last spring. My husband had been at his job for seventeen years, and massive changes were coming. I found myself daydreaming about moving to a new state with consistently warmer temperatures and year-round sunshine. I wanted a fresh start. We have…
During college, I worked as an orientation leader for two consecutive years. I spent the summers before and after graduation working eighteen-hour days. It was the hardest work I’ve ever done. We lived and worked on campus, and our coworkers were our roommates. It felt like there was no escape. We cried together and because…
“Do you, Seth, promise to love Kelly, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?” “I do,” said my husband with a gleam in his eye. When the minister declared us husband and wife, he swept me into his arms and kissed me. When I look at our wedding photos, I see…
I’m not exactly sure when my husband started contemplating getting me a dog. I believe the final straw came when life took us to Eglin Air Force Base in the panhandle of Florida, where my husband served as a physician. We chose to live on base, completely unaware that what we were actually choosing was…
I have a Death Valley. Do you? You know, that dry place somewhere deep inside, where you see no evidence of growth, no evidence of beauty, and no evidence of life? It’s an area of life you dwell in as infrequently as possible. It’s an area you’ve prayed about, a place that swallows up prayers,…
The doctor moved the ultrasound wand back and forth without a sound. He stared intently at the screen. I was petrified. At last, he put down the wand and sighed. “You may want to consider terminating the pregnancy,” he said. “It will save you a lot of heartache. Your child will probably die before it’s…