In the 1970s, the year 2020 sounded very futuristic, like the shows we watched of The Six Million Dollar Man or Lost in Space. About that time, my older brother wrote some far-away predictions on a classroom-sized chalkboard that hung hidden (and rather out of place) along one wall in our … [Read more...] about On Hope and a Plan
pacemaker
A Season of Grief & Gratitude
“You just sunk our friendship!” My older sibling laid the harsh words on me early one Christmas Break. I was a little unclear about what I had done, but I knew it was bad, and this faux pas had created a big loss. We could no longer be friends. Ever again. Crushed, I did the only thing my … [Read more...] about A Season of Grief & Gratitude
A Better Memory
The almost-antique farm truck is a strange combination of burned metal and rust from years of weathering. I remember the fire that caught our neighbors by surprise one hectic week in a June far behind us. Deep into the rush and importance of harvest, the truck was crossing the recently-cut stubble … [Read more...] about A Better Memory
Learning to Lament
It was an ordinary Tuesday. As I made my way into the choir room, I remember seeing her older brother pacing outside the school office, waiting for her to be released from class. My childhood friend’s mother had died after a long illness when we were seniors in high school. I knew her mother … [Read more...] about Learning to Lament
Sensible Skin is Tougher Than You’d Think
Every mama knows, preschool conversations reveal some of life’s biggest truths. It was my day to have the two for lunch after their morning at preschool, my younger daughter and her four-year-old friend. It was a Thursday thing that year. These besties loved spending as much time together as they … [Read more...] about Sensible Skin is Tougher Than You’d Think
Expectations and Promises: When God Disappoints
Shielding the California sun from my eyes for a glimpse as my daughter received her college diploma, I remembered something my husband said four years ago as I sat on these same crowded bleachers. I was wearing my cardiac life vest back then. My older son was graduating from the same university … [Read more...] about Expectations and Promises: When God Disappoints