Faith, Family, and the beauty of Everyday Grace

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love through generations
Debbie Prather Debbie Prather

love through generations

You don't know what you don't know.

And I didn't know what I put her through.

My mom waited eleven hours to hear from me. Eleven hours that should've been six, while she was home in Illinois, and I was a high schooler on a January drive with friends, from there to Iowa, to visit my boyfriend's college.

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the heart remembers
Debbie Prather Debbie Prather

the heart remembers

Words don’t suffice.

There aren’t enough that can express.

A and E, let my heart talk to yours.

You are so adored by your hard-working and fun-loving parents, grandparents, aunties, and uncles: Life will be a great adventure.

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Dear Younger Me
grief, Life Debbie Prather grief, Life Debbie Prather

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.

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Ties That Bind
Debbie Prather Debbie Prather

Ties That Bind

The beautiful connections that occur in our relationships are not accidental but intentional.

It' s a key word for every Christ follower: intentionality.

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humble and kind
Debbie Prather Debbie Prather

humble and kind

“I love you, Mom.”

“Hmmm?”

(A little louder) “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too ... so very much.”

I’d been deep in thought, listening to the song we were slowly dancing to.

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may his face shine upon you
Debbie Prather Debbie Prather

may his face shine upon you

Numbers 6 : 24 - 26 ESV   The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Dear moms and dads,

This blessing was first spoken from God to Moses. The Lord told Moses to tell his brother, the priest Aaron, and Aaron’s sons, to bless the people of Israel with the words above. 

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we've gotcha
Debbie Prather Debbie Prather

we've gotcha

The stout and stern, dark-haired judge scared the living heck out of us.

She fired one question after another, and the sweat beaded on Craig's head. The kind translator had warned us ahead of time not to look at herself but only at the judge when it was time for the translator to repeat the judge's questions, changing them from Russian to English.

"Why do you want to adopt this little girl?"

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the true you
grief Debbie Prather grief Debbie Prather

the true you

I sat poolside in this Mexican resort town and noticed a tingling clearness in my head and my breathing start to slow down and expand. It felt like a watch that had been ticking too fast, suddenly being reset to the correct tempo—an invisible rebooting of my soul.

I recently heard the soul described as the part of you that was there before you were born and the part of you that will live on after you die: The "true" you.

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peace, love and homeschooling
Debbie Prather Debbie Prather

peace, love and homeschooling

Like putting sore, tired feet in front of the fire, homeschooling has brought peace and rejuvenation to our hearts and to our household. And sleep! Ahhhh, did I mention sleep?

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