Why the ongoing dissent in so many families? Irreconcilable differences, anger, unforgiveness, walls of not-talking. Where are You, LORD, as family members estrange each other? We are all broken people trying to survive. It hurts when some choose others as their “family,” distance themselves, and leave us bewildered. Our hearts are shredded when differences crucifyContinue reading “When Family Wounds Run Deep”
Tag Archives: grief
Launch Day 2 š
Woohoo! š Launch day 2 is here (three more days to go)! Get your 21-day devotional, Walking Through Shadows: Finding Hope When Life Seems Dark. Itās discounted now through October 24 (ebook at $0.99 and the print book for $10.99). After then, prices go back up. Click here to grab your copy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FT515VPQ/ I pray this devotional will blessContinue reading “Launch Day 2 š”
Book Launch Week!
Hi, friends! Launch week for my 21-day devotional, āWalking Through Shadows: Finding Hope When Life Seems Dark,ā is here! š Please pray this offering will reach where the LORD willsā¦I feel like a child with a few loaves and fishes, excited to see what the LORD will do! Ebook and print book prices are discountedContinue reading “Book Launch Week!”
Walking Through Shadows: Finding Hope When Life Seems Dark
Hi, friends, Iām excited to announce my new 21-day devotional, now available on Amazon! Inspired by my journey through different life shadows (challenges), I hope these devotions will help you walk through yours. Where is the light when darkness of the world overshadows you and steals your joy? Do you feel confused, lost, overwhelmed? HaveContinue reading “Walking Through Shadows: Finding Hope When Life Seems Dark”
Singing a Miracle of Praise
Time rewound and there I stood, in a New York City apartment, fellowshipping with others and singing praises to God in Holy Spirit song. The JOY of the LORD washed through the room and cascaded through us. It was 1972. I was in New York for a work-study program at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital, theContinue reading “Singing a Miracle of Praise”
Itās Never Too Late
Have you been dwellingDeep in the coal mine Blackened by hard things So dark you canāt see Stuck in the mud pits Like mastodon capturedDoomed to be buriedBeneath sucking muckLost in the desert Dying for waterStung by the scorpion Vultures wait near Frozen to standstill In icy weather Snow heaped upon you Ice forming itsContinue reading “Itās Never Too Late”
Magnoliaās Run: Walking Through Walls
Hi, friends! Iām excited to announce my new Teen and Young Adult novel, Magnoliaās Run: Walking Through Walls. In 1952, nine-year-old Magnolia is abducted from her Idaho family and transported to Kentucky for purposes beyond her understanding. Desperately clinging to the hope of returning home, she faces years of entrapment before deciding to flee. Magnolia’sContinue reading “Magnoliaās Run: Walking Through Walls”
When Stretched
Have you ever been to PT? Had strength training after an injury? Or, like my dear relative, experienced painful exercises after knee replacement surgery? āI have a deep respect for those who have chronic pain,ā my relative said to meā¦the exact words I confessed to my physical therapist a few days before. What about chronicContinue reading “When Stretched”
Beneath the Mask
Who am I beneath the mask Of daily said requirements The me whose soul is languishing Searching for the happy face Has carrying burdens overwhelmed Am I too tuned to inward self Not yet dead to temporal Searching for the joy Forgive me, LORD, for wasting time Or is this not a waste at allContinue reading “Beneath the Mask”
Escaping Depressionās Tomb
The tomb of depression, my little room of despair, has threatened to squeeze lifeās light out of me. Chinks of sadness, slowly mortared into repressive stones, attempt to close off the door of joy, oppress my spirit, and obstruct my desire to scoot out into the vibrancy of life. Looking beyond the shadowed portal, IContinue reading “Escaping Depressionās Tomb”
A Changing Firmament
The swirling snow obscured the frozen lake and mountain view before us. The last few days, temperatures dipped to single digits, then soared to mid-forties. Yesterday, puddles appeared on the snow packed gravel driveway. Would they freeze and turn into a patchwork of tiny skating rinks? Or seep into depths below? Streaks of sun piercedContinue reading “A Changing Firmament”
Receding Snow
Day after day sparkling white blankets covered the world, and gave the earth permission to pause. Now the pristine mounds of white are nearly gone, soaking silently into the earth, and chasing soiled slush down grated drains. Is winter melting away, the long-awaited snow too soon relinquishing its place, receding and signaling the earth toContinue reading “Receding Snow”
Leaving Lo-debar
New Yearās Day 2024 dawned with the promises of new starts and resolutions. Yet, as I reflected on the state of the year left behind, I wondered at that growing, kicking child of strife and unrest silently waiting to emerge from the worldās contracting womb. A glance out the window revealed a fog of environmentalContinue reading “Leaving Lo-debar”
The Melting Snowman
When it feels like life is meltingDespite sunny days When storms and rains lash fiercely Drain strength fast away āTis then our God our Father Creator of our days Is catching all the drippings Tears coursing in a race And like the melting snowman Whose face beams joy and play In blessing or in meltingContinue reading “The Melting Snowman”
Buckie the Bull and Other Short Stories
If you enjoy animals, have a youthful heart, and struggle at times to make sense of life, check out my new book, Buckie the Bull and Other Short Stories. Written for ages 10 and older ((fifth grade reading level), these sixteen faith-based short stories of a farm family, their friends, and their animals will warmContinue reading “Buckie the Bull and Other Short Stories”
Opening A Door
Tears streamed down her face. How could a few chapters of a book pierce her to the core, open a door to a locked room she knew not existed? How could this be? And what would she, could she do about it? At this moment in timeā¦nothing. Her life path was chosen, ruts worn deep.Continue reading “Opening A Door”
In Glowing Winter Moonlight
Three oāclock in the morning was a ridiculous time to be awake. Frosty thoughts tripped over Rachaelās sleepy mind as she closed the weather app and set her phone down. āHappy New Year,ā she frowned shaking her head at the bedside clock flashing <10:00>. āJust great! Who knows when the power will come back on?āContinue reading “In Glowing Winter Moonlight”
The Strength of His Hand
She wasnāt completely sure who they were, this darling couple and others who came to visit time and again. They called her Momma or Auntie or Nonaā¦ who were these people? Her once short coifed hair had grown long and limp, the slow loss of curl and shine reflective of the persistent fading of herContinue reading “The Strength of His Hand”
Entrusting with Hope
So many parents share our hurt A child now grown throws us away Rejects love, the blessings given Denying good weāve brought her way It hurts, LORD, this rejection deep So well You know the pain we feel Shock, confusion settling in Before air clears to see itās real Now we must forgive ourselvesOf imperfections,Continue reading “Entrusting with Hope”
Walking With Hope
We two walked there arm in arm Speaking in low voiceShe allowed me to hold on Surprised me with that choice I saw her there in my dreams Our daughter now estrangedMy firstborn a treasured giftWhom I long to see again Long suffering my heart does yearnFor closeness we once shared Before events of lifeContinue reading “Walking With Hope”
Beyond Vulnerability
She could barely describe the situation, so overwhelming it felt. Yet she knew she could not rely on her feelingsā¦ they were capricious, diaphanous, wispy like foggy droplets wafting on the breeze. They were without substanceā¦ just feelings. And yet they flew at her like ice pellets in a raging storm. She felt her headContinue reading “Beyond Vulnerability”
Dew Upon The Arbor 