When I was a little girl, I loved pretending to be a bride. I’d wrap a sheet around my body, drape a towel over my head, and hold a bouquet of plastic flowers to my chest. Then I would start at one end of the hallway in our ranch-style house and saunter down the “aisle.” In my little mind, all eyes were on me as my sheet became a pearl-studded wedding gown, Read more…
G-R-A-C-E when you need it
There it was.
Carved in wood.
The evidence could not be denied.
My niece, Anna, dropped her kids off at school and then went home to clean up a bit. She removed a hairbrush, school papers, and yesterday’s jewelry from her dresser. And there it was. She couldn’t believe her eyes.
A nail.
And a name. Read more…
When Your Heart Needs More
It was a bit too early. Little Tripp was snug in his mommy’s womb, and not quite ready to meet the world. But the doctors decided it was time for his grand debut.
My niece, Emily, developed preeclampsia in her last weeks of pregnancy. The doctors waited as long as they could, but surmised that it was best if little Tripp be welcomed into the world sooner rather than later. Read more…
When You Feel Weighed Down, Worn Out, and Bound Up
I was riding down the crowded streets of Mexico City in a cab when I saw her. She measured about four feet high, backed curved, bent at the waist at a ninety-degree angle, and fingers gnarled and twisted shut. Like an upside down chair, her face was parallel to the dirty sidewalk. Feet, dirt, trash. That was her view of the world. Read more…
When You Forget…Remember Grace
Ann. I just love her. In just the few years I’ve know her, she has taught me much about gracious, grace-filled living. My friend Jill has the privilege of being a companion to Ann two days a week. But Jill is more than a companion…she is Ann’s friend.
Last week Ann called Jill in a panic.
“Jill, Read more…
When a Dream Dies
I sat on my porch with my Bible in my lap and a hot mug of steamy in my hand. Early morning is my favorite time of day. Just me and Jesus and a smattering of birds.
I closed my Bible and looked out across the backyard. My eyes landed on a rounded mound of fur nestled in the grass under the willow tree. Read more…
A Higher Place
911
Mom punched in the numbers and waited for the ambulance to arrive. She was having intense abdominal pains and the vomiting wouldn’t stop.
I got the call, and for the next six weeks sat by her bed and watched her slip away. We talked about everything from the distribution of her material possessions to the best shampoo for shiny hair. Read more…
The God Who Fills In Your Blanks
I’ll go out on a limb and say, that very single one of us, at one time or another, will struggle with feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy. And the primary underlying falsehood that feeds the sense of worthlessness is I’m not __________ enough. You can fill that blank in with any number of qualities.
I’m not strong enough. Read more…
Let Go and Take Hold
Have you ever watched a performer on a flying trapeze under the massive circus tent? A short horizontal bar suspended by ropes or metal straps dangles high above the crowd. The aerialist grabs the trapeze bar, jumps off of a high platform, and swings through the air.
She swings out once, swings back in above the platform, and swings out again. Read more…
Who Do You Think You Are?
I’m getting ready to get on a plane and head to Kentucky to speak at a women’s event. And a memory slid it’s way into my mind. Remember who you are and whose you are. You are not doing this on your own.
See, it was my first large speaking engagement about eighteen years ago. Read more…