An extraordinary exchange

I had just fallen asleep when I felt the tap on my shoulder. “Excuse me,” my seat-mate whispered. “Now my husband needs to go to the bathroom.” I was annoyed. I was seated in the aisle next to a woman in the middle seat and her hubby in the window seat. She had gotten up […]

I’ve been deep in thought lately, giving intentional contemplation to the idea of “loving without limits” and what that looks like from God’s perspective. And when I say I have been thinking about it, I’ve REALLY been chewing on it because I know it’s a key in my life. And it might be in yours, […]

My dad always showed up with something from home, a smile, and an optimistic greeting. “Hello, Love!” he would exclaim as he’d make a grand entrance through the door to her room. Mom would smile, sometimes barely and other times big, depending on how she was feeling. The hospital only allowed one guest per room […]

I continue to move through my grief with intentionality. I take time to cry, to pray out loud and ask Jesus to say hi to my mom for me, and to buy and use little things that remind me of my sweet Mama. She is woven into my days and as time ticks on, it […]

Six months ago today, my mama left us for the beauty of heaven. I honestly don’t know if I’m processing her death in the correct way, whatever that’s supposed to look like. I reflect back on the last six months in which I have intentionally chosen to spend a lot of time bringing peace and […]

I have been emotionally preparing myself for this week and weekend. Understanding the deep and very painful emotional bruise I now carry, I have been carefully navigating through the past several days. But not in a way anyone would expect. I’ve actually been looking for opportunities to “run into things” that push on that tender […]

I often struggle with the tension. I can have a day where something really positive takes place (i.e. I get to have coffee with a friend) and then something negative comes my way (i.e. something stressful at work). My time, effort and energy are easily diverted to the “crisis” in front of me rather than […]

Last week I wrote about the list of people God has put in our lives to pursue. While I was writing, I thought about what it looks like to be on the other side…in the shoes of the one who is being pursued. This week I was working through something with my dad and I […]

This week when I couldn’t get a hold of my dad, I reached out to my brothers to see if they had heard from him that day and they hadn’t. My dad calls each of us about every day and he’s done that for years and years, so I had a friend of his go […]

My mom was so excited when I would tell her about my counseling sessions. Often I would call her on my way back (it was about a 40 minute drive) to give her the highlights. She celebrated with me and often identified with my brokenness. The truth is, my mom had hurts and baggage in […]