Sorrow and Rejoicing
I smile and ugly cry because he is having a family reunion and we are disjointed and left with a gaping wound.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Unmet expectations, failed dreams, and loss of life and security are not new events. They are built into the human experience, and we can continue to live full, peace filled lives if we accept the reality of the now, embrace the mystery of why, and move forward each day.
The Trees and I Are Letting Go Again
It’s that time of year again. The leaves are crunching under my feet, the mums are blooming, and the skeletons are coming out. I can feel the edges of grief tugging at me. Memories of desperate prayers, resignation, loss, and failure are creeping in with the ghosts being hung in store windows. This excerpt from Our Broken Hallelujahs recounts a […]
TODAY WE SAY, “GOODBYE.”
I called him Big John, somewhat because his son is Big Tom, but mostly because he was a big man.
No matter how much he had already given, he seemed to find a way to give more of himself. He was our giant.
DOUBT- WHERE WISDOM BEGINS
James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. Why are we here? What is the point? Does life have meaning and value? These questions intrinsically reflect doubt. They implicitly challenge the notions that there is a reason for life and that each one of us is significant. […]
The Other Side of the Conversation
I stood in the entryway, and I told you he is gone.
I did that.
I know what happened when you left.
The reality of words.
I’ve been on the other side of the conversation.
It’s okay.
I cried too.
Not for him, but for you.
ON THE PASSING OF A FORMER STUDENT
When I look into their faces as I read them the poem, I still see the young man (who was almost constantly in a cast of some sort) sitting in a middle school classroom. I see his energy and exuberance in their young and promising eyes, and my heart breaks again… and again… and again.
COVER ME
I had almost missed her soft whisper as I left her room: “Cover me, Mama.” The words gripped me as I pulled the blankets up to her chin. She gave me the words I have been trying to find to express the emotions stirring within me the past couple of weeks.
Things We Don’t Say
November is the month in between.
First it was the month that came before; then, it was the month that came after.
Yet, November is the month of thanks.
How do I say thank you for the blessing of broken? I am learning.
PART TIME BLESSINGS
There is blessing in waiting for an ultra sound to indicate another child is lost; there is blessing in the graveyard spattered with names I love; and there is blessing in the moments of failure. These are blessings I have known in seasons very different from today. They are the blessings that have convinced me life is full of beauty.