Since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to know how and why things happen. I like to understand what’s going on, to be able to predict an outcome, to have a certain amount of control over my world. Which is why I’ve had a hard time recently. For the last year and a […]
We thought it would be easy. We didn’t plan for our first baby. She arrived, an unexpected gift, eleven days before our first anniversary. So, naturally, we thought having more kids would be quick and uncomplicated. But we waited, and the years passed. One miscarriage. Then another. Our girl grew older and noticed all
It’s that season again, when the graduation announcements come rolling in. Another crop of scholars, fresh-faced and starry-eyed, ready to sweat in their caps and gowns while commencement speakers everywhere wax eloquent about the keys to success and notoriety. And then off they’ll go to celebrate. And some of them will go on to
In recent weeks I’ve heard some rough, ragged, just plain hard stories. What do you say to a woman who has watched her daughter wither and fade completely away, die under the weight of the lie that she wasn’t good enough the way God made her? What about the lady in her 70’s dealing
“What is that you’re afraid of?” Marty sits cross-legged on her couch, leaning toward me. I’ve had several invitations recently to speak to women’s groups, so I’ve come seeking her advice, knowing she has much more experience than I do teaching large groups of adults. Genuine friend that she is, she cuts to the
We are a nation breathless, lungs squeezed tight by images that come unbidden. Single-file children, crying in terror. Faces of parents, twisted in grief, in disbelief. Tiny ones, smiling from the screen, who knew fear in their last moments here. Fear. When I heard the news about the tragedy in Newtown, CT, my
My dream is to be a wide receiver. Now, before you start trying to picture giant men in shoulder pads and helmets tackling my five-foot tall frame, let me explain. This is the season of turkey and trimmings, loosened belts and football games. It’s also a time to slow down and do some thinking, so