At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus as our Savior. That, of course, is the most important thing about Christmas. But Christmas is also a time we want to be with family and perhaps—for just a moment—linger on memories of Christmases past. Two months ago I lost my brother. During my years as a young girl, he was my…
IN THE WEE HOURS of Tuesday morning I sat beside our much-loved 15 year old Akita as he passed from this life. With grief flooding my heart, I prayed that he was entering into a Heaven where God promises that “the wolf will live with the lamb.” Although scripture doesn’t specifically say it, I interpret that to mean that our…
My friend looked visibly shaken as she crossed the floor of the restaurant to join me at the table. When I asked how her family was doing, she burst into tears. “Melanie and Ron are getting a divorce,” she said. As she continued telling me the story of her daughter’s marital collapse, I could hear the pain in her words….
Recently I sat at a table having dessert with four women who are presently in different stages of transition after marital crisis, some in recovery, others experiencing continued uncertainty and/or upheaval. One of the women whose marriage had made tremendous progress toward healing, began talking about the importance of “letting go,” a subject I also talk about frequently. The young…