One year ago yesterday, my mother died. I’m angry. And sad. And grateful. I’m remembering, second-guessing every decision. Immediately after her fall and diagnosis of a brain tumor, she spent several weeks in a local nursing home. She was not safe for surgery at that point. After the biopsy, she transferred to rehab where […]
Scripture Sunday: When All Seems Lost
Word Candy: When You’re Feeling a Little Dry
Have you heard about the new app in town? It’s this shoppe where you can stop and stir up a little sweetness, kindle some courage, whisper words of wisdom, and more. Pick a category, choose a line, and then match it with a photo. Create an encouraging card to share with friends on your blog, via […]
Scripture Sunday: Find Rest
Dear Sponsor
Dear New Sponsor, I’ve waited so long. So very long. I wondered what was wrong with me that nobody cared. I had almost lost hope. But then you reached out all the way across the world. You said you love me. And I cry. My mother cries, too. We cry because we are happy now. […]
So We Give All . . . Third World Symphony First Anniversary
She lives in Kenya. I sit down this morning to write to her, her last letter at my right hand. She tells me she was in position 1 in the first term of school and in position 3 in the third term. She tells me that she and her family are in good health and […]
When You’re Mashed in the Making
I toast a sourdough muffin golden, two halves, and slather them with butter and mounds of strawberry freezer jam. I love the color of strawberries mashed in the making. Jeweled jam. And red, to me, is the color of hope. I steep a cup of Earl Grey Green, inhale the fragrance of bergamot, and settle […]
Crystal Blue Persuasion
Grace has brought a blue-topped spiral notebook as well as two big containers—one of markers, one of crayons. She’s drawn a yellow sun in the left corner, and I smile because the prelude was called “Sun of my Soul.” We missed the prelude. “Be sure to put the top back on when you’re done,” I […]
Scripture Sunday: God of Green Hope
And Isaiah’s word: There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse, breaking through the earth and growing tree tall, Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope! Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy […]
When You Can’t See the Blessings on the Page
Management had made another decision. “When will you take off your rose-colored glasses?” Suzie was frustrated. “See it for what it is. This is not right. It’s so messed up.” Sometimes it seems a curse, this seeing the bright side of everything, this seeing the good side of everyone. This simple trust, this naivety, […]