faith, family, wellness
This morning the intense Texas summer sun came through my bedroom window, and there was this resolve in me that ... it would be a good day. So with everyone in the family still asleep, I awoke first as I usually do, and whispered to our dog Summer, "C'mon girl, let's go outside so you can do … Continue reading Because Today, I Can
I love Christmas. I love lights. I love Christmas lights. But lately, with all the terror in the news, I have been overwhelmed by this reality ... that we are living in one dark world. How easy it is for me to string some lights along my fireplace, singing along to my favorite Christmas carol … Continue reading Against the Darkest of Skies
This morning, the sun pierced through the blue fall sky, through the kitchen window and exposed the layer of dust on my computer keyboard. I haven't touched it for months. Nearly six months. My fingers have been stiff and achy these days. Life has been full, a flurry of change and adventure. We moved to Texas and have … Continue reading To Write, to Breathe
I only wanted to make some heart-shaped cookies. But that day, I walked into my daughter's preschool class with cookies that looked like blobs. I marvel at those of you who actually like to cook. I find it amazing that for some of you, baking cookies makes you happy. At times I do come up with something I'm slightly proud of - but I confess, I cook, … Continue reading We Will Burn the Cookies
My girl is brave. She runs. She climbs. She torpedoes through the kiddie pool. She rescues her dollies from dire illnesses. She picks up pincher bugs with her bare little hands. She lives life full. But every now and then, she isn't so sure. Yesterday at the park, while perched on the big kid swing, she said quietly, "Mommy, I just feel a little bit … Continue reading The Only Way to Fly Free
I got a call from my neighbor last night. The other day I had left some flowers on her doorstep. Her husband passed away three days after Christmas. He was eighty-three. "I just have to keep going, I guess," she said to me over the phone that night. I woke up this morning with her words still with me. It's … Continue reading Look Up, Press On
Last Christmas, a man rammed into us. It was the night before Christmas Eve. Our car had come to a stop, at a quiet intersection I have known all my life. There was hardly a soul on the road. But just as our car rolled to a pause, we felt this jolt. With it came the terrible sound of … Continue reading Saved by a Handful of Inches
When it's hard to believe in miracles... In the hope of change... In overcoming... In transformations and new beginnings... In healing... When our spirit is willing, but our flesh is frail... When joy is illusive; victory, distant... And wonder has lost its shimmer... I am stopped by this. A tree just outside my door. A … Continue reading What’s So Ordinary?
Even though I am feeling pretty good these days, I've come to accept that I will probably always feel some level of symptoms. They no longer disable me, most days. But can I live the way I used to? No, not really. I have learned to adjust, honestly. I make decisions constantly to push or rest. I can't … Continue reading Losing Normal
Sometimes, the one thing we need to hear is, "You'll get through this." But often times the big, looming question is, "How?" Often I think it's in the knowing that we find comfort or in the answers that we find security. Sometimes I think that wisdom is having quick answers and our "isms" all figured out ... but yet, why is it that the simplest words sit … Continue reading When You Wonder if You’ll Get Through
invited by grace 