I know a pain that taints the merriment of the holidays. For many people, all the commercial hype and the expectancy of happy memories and jolly times tend to shine too bright a spotlight on all that is actually, not…
An Invitation: 10 Ways to Pray for a Grieving Family
It has now been 2 years of living life without Mason. Two years. Two years of perfection for him. And two, long, weary years of crippling grief for us. There are moments it feels like decades of exhaustion, of putting…
When God Gives Good Gifts
Mason was quite possibly the most high maintenance baby who ever existed. The sleep strikes, the incessant screaming, the crying until he threw up, the irrational tantrums when he woke from naps, the insistence on being held every waking moment……
Do Not Cling Too Tightly
There is a little patch of dirt in my backyard, near the tree house, under the shade of a big tree that I often find myself staring at. 20 months ago, a little boy sat there with his collection of…
Quiet Whispers
Each of my kids have unique requests of me at bedtime. When I say goodnight to them in their beds, one will ask for my specific prayer over something, one asks for a back rub. I get requests to “way…
Wear the Helmet, Carry the Sword
This morning, as I sat on my couch and watched the world come awake out my front window, I felt the weight of 17 months of grief. I saw, for the first time, these beautiful purple flowers blooming in my…