Yesterday, I went to the store to shop for a few things. We weren’t desperate for any one item, but several things on my list remained unchecked because the shelves were barren. In fact, as I pushed my cart through the aisles, I kept recalling that film I’d seen about Communist Cuba and how grocery […]
Grief
Facing Death
Through my teen years and into college, I loved going to weddings. Not only did I revel in the romance and celebration of the day, but I also eagerly anticipated my own special day with my future spouse. What aspects did I like? What would I implement in my own ceremony? Etc. Weddings were enjoyable […]
If You Are Hurting: the Point of Pain
My daughter’s teeth are overcrowded, coming in at angles instead of straight. Because of her young age, her dentist recommended she start using a myobrace (think retainer on steroids) at night and for one hour during the day. Having a great aversion to pain and all things uncomfortable, she will still have nights of tears. […]
Ho-Hum Holidays: Dealing with Loneliness and Grief
After my dad went on to Heaven in 2013, my siblings and I wrestled through our loss in various ways. For some of us, keeping everything else as “normal” and same as possible helped shrink the hole. But for my brother, starting a new tradition (even having our Christmas celebration in a different location–not at […]
Diary of a Wimpy Woman: Here by Thy Great Help I’ve Come
Today I graded an essay by a student recounting the powerful experience of seeing God work in Brazil. Along with several other people, he prayed over the locals that were sick, deaf, and incapacitated, and by God’s great power, they were healed. One older man requested prayer and my student laid his hands on the […]
A Grief Unwrapped
Grief is kind of like the lens of a camera. Sometimes the zoom spans out, giving the viewer a bigger picture (perspective, hope, breathing room). But during times of raw emotion and aching memories, the lens transforms into a microscope, keeping the griever from seeing things with enough scope to cope. The image is too […]