A warning to the grieving

I've met hundreds of bereaved parents on this journey of child loss. It takes less than ten minutes after meeting them to recognize whether healing has happened or is happening. Words of grief spill out during conversation, but it is the words of bitterness and unforgiveness that differentiate and reveal those headed toward the path...

Meeting needs, special needs, and mental health in isolation

I've been sitting here at the keyboard for a while, motionless, just trying to put jumbled thoughts into coherent words. For the past 12 months, the 8 of us have been learning how to work, school, and thrive in isolation at home. The challenges, and joys, of being together 24/7 are difficult to put into...

When scripture hurts

"For He will give His angels orders concerning you, To protect you in all your ways." - Psalm 91:11 It's certain verses like these that pinch my heart, make me question, wonder if God's word is true. Pain, the grief of losing my mom and son, screams at verses like these. Where was their protection? Where...

Too many voices

I've spent a good many months arm wrestling with the keyboard, contemplating the purpose of sharing my thoughts on a blog, trying to figure out if writing is really what I want. Should I ditch this whole thing? What's the point? Why does it matter? We live in a world obsessed with the desire to...

Battle in the dark days of winter

It's ironic, isn't it, when snow lies on the ground, a white so bright it hurts one's eyes to look at, yet the skies remain dark, cloudy, unyielding. The clouds refuse to part, and the contrast of the white snow against the barren trees only serves to confuse. Is it dark? Is it light? I'm...

Making lemonade out of lemons

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for me in this forced isolation during Covid has been trying to figure out how to serve, how to use the gifts God has given me to continue to serve while being restricted physically from others. I'm used to serving at church. I'm used to being of help in...