After I repeated the expression, you told me it brought you to tears. “All of God’s grace in one tiny face.” We'd talked on the phone for an hour that afternoon, me swatting bees on the deck of our rental house in Indiana, you back home in Illinois, in your comfortable recliner and looking at... Continue Reading →
the fragrance of life
I’ve kept the gift for over twenty-nine years and when I take off the top and inhale the scent, 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,... Continue Reading →
last drops
My husband was out of the country on a work trip and while caring for our two boys, I counted the seconds until his return. The first days of his absence had been rough, but this one started and ended, almost, uneventfully. I fed dinner to our then four-year-old, Brett; nursed our then six-week-old, Collin;... Continue Reading →
an audience of one
I’d take physical exhaustion over mental exhaustion any day of the week. And that’s what social media produced in me - a mental and emotional burnout. So I took the plunge and removed myself. It wasn’t the first time I’d left social media, but I believe it’ll be the last. I decided over a year... Continue Reading →
ties that bind
1 Corinthians 13 : 2 (NLT) “If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing.” Our family of seven, a trio of grown "kids" and... Continue Reading →
marriage looks like this
Marriage looks like a desperately needed, intertwined nap on a lazy, rainy afternoon and later chopping vegetables, side by side, for a favorite Soup Sunday recipe. Marriage looks like pulling boxes of pictures and albums out of storage and getting teary together, saying “Remember when they were all so little?” Marriage looks like praying on... Continue Reading →
grace abounds
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.” It took us time to get this right. I wish I could go back to our early days of marriage, knowing... Continue Reading →
forces of love
We've been desensitized to reports of innocent people being shot. We hear a new story every night. It has become our status quo. But most anyone with a beating heart could express that it feels so far gone, we wonder if our course can be changed. There have been nearly fifty mass shootings within our... Continue Reading →
let mercy draw you near
In this Lenten season, we can be reminded - if we take the time and look - that God‘s goodness is everywhere. We can focus on the direness, or we can remember that Jesus came to defeat it all. He’s with us when we arise in the morning, He’s with us as we navigate our... Continue Reading →