Faith, Family, and the beauty of Everyday Grace
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Embracing Humanity: Lessons from Irish Encounters
We grasped hands and held tightly, probably longer than appropriate considering we were mere strangers at the start. But our short yet profound conversation bonded us in a serendipitous way.
"Mind yourself," he said, with a sudden solemnity before releasing his grip. "God bless you."
What Good Is It?
Can I be honest?
I’ve been pretty discouraged lately.
Or, more specifically, discouraged with how technology has changed us.
Yesterday, I was in a waiting room and it hit me like it does every time—we don’t talk to each other anymore.
Dear Younger Me
May 14, 1985
Dad died in the hospital today. Why, why, why, why, why? Why wasn't I taken instead? Mom, Karen, and the boys could live fine without me. How will any of us survive without Dad?
June 9, 2023
Dear Younger Me,
These are such good questions.
the fragrance of life
I’ve kept the gift for over twenty-nine years.
When I take off the top and inhale, I’m right back in that significant time—the beginning years of marriage and living in our very own little home, expecting a baby. My sister-in-law, Jan, gave me the Elizabeth Arden body lotion for my birthday, two months before our firstborn's entrance into the world.
the blink of an eye
It happened in a blink, the way these things usually do.
We were babysitting Brett and Abby's puppy, our grandpup; a rascally, endearing, sixty-pound Sheepadoodle named Berkley.
They’re in love with that guy (we are too) and had trouble leaving him for the dog-free overnight they were embarking on.
an ever-present help in times of trouble
My first overriding emotion was embarrassment.
When I heard one say to the other, “It was a domestic dispute,” I felt the blood rush to my face. The emotion immediately following was anger.
“No! You don’t understand. My dad has a brain tumor. He’d never hurt us or our mom!”
let there be peace on earth
If I believed, before, that a defense of temporary insanity was a bunch of hogwash, I now knew differently.
I truly did lose my mind.
The roads were terribly icy, and snow was coming down.
Revelations From A Road Trip
"Did you leave yet?" I asked, frantic. "Please don't go! We've been robbed!"
The minute we saw that our window had been smashed and our car broken into, I called our son, who was in another vehicle with his sister (our daughter), his wife, and mother and father in-law, leaving from the same parking lot as us.
a wing and a prayer
Being petrified of flying has its advantages.
Okay, advantages is an overstatement, but there is one reason I'm thankful for my intense fear.
When I'm up in the clouds and my heart is hammering in my chest, I can pray to God for hours on end—which is exactly what I did this past July on an eight-hour flight to Paris.
the last turn home
As we rounded the corner onto our street, the anticipation I'd felt for the last ten days couldn't be contained one second longer. In our driveway, I left everything in the car and ran through the snow to the front door, flinging it open.
our bodies, our vehicles
I drove my daughter to school today in our well-used, ocean mist Honda Odyssey van. It's rusted in a few spots; dented in the rear from our sons' driver education days; and smelly from transporting dogs and athletes, wet snow boots, skis, bathing suits, and God knows what else. That old van is worn out but reliable. Rusty but sturdy. Beat up but because I'm nostalgic, dare I say beautiful.
Seeing Beyond Appearances: A Parenting Insight
For the dear life of me, I couldn't justify the hateful looks I was getting from the woman a few people ahead of me at the check-out line. My daughter and I had been driving by one of our favorite stores and decided to pull in to buy a needed gift. She grabbed her new doll from the car, and we walked through the door.