“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” Psalm 37: 23-24 ESV One tiny hand gripped deep inside my own, another in the hand of my husband. Chubby legs danced in-between, steps uneven but oh so joyous. […]
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The Grieving We Do
I remember the clingers. I can feel those little arms that hugged tight around my neck and the legs circling my body. I remember the process, of disentangling a hand, then a leg, then the other hand and leg, as if they were glued to me, those little clinging people. My son commented as he […]
Continue ReadingNow What?
Have you ever hit a fork in life when you have asked, “Now what?” You might be thinking of the last time you put together a 1,2,3 step project out of the box. Only it didn’t turn out so simple or sturdy as the picture on the package. Perhaps a relationship comes to mind, one […]
Continue ReadingWhere Do Your Tracks Lead?
One of my missionary colleagues gave me an illustration of life in the jungle. It held a punch that I hope I never forget. South American roads at times are little more than frequently trodden paths, unpaved and unmarked. When hard rains come, those dirt paths become like sinking mud pits. My friend, shared about […]
Continue ReadingIt’s Not Fair
So, my grandson who is four years old beat me at a game of memory. There are a lot of reasons this happened. The cards, for example had some sort of out of this world superpower heroes. I didn’t know them. He did. By name. They had tentacles, fangs, green goop, and could fly through […]
Continue ReadingFinding Balance When the Lava Flows
“Don’t step on the lava!” It’s a chorus of young and old watching little bare feet hop, skip, and jump from pillow to pillow, over and under chairs. My youngest grandson just turned four. His genius mom, with her creative birthday party juices, has done it again. Complete with lava cake and a “real” volcano […]
Continue ReadingAre You Walking In the Mire?
Mud, thick red goop clumped his little shoes like melted cheese oozing out of a sandwich. Hunks of it fell in globs I tried to avoid as I scooped him up. Briefly his legs swung from side to side and in the arc. Piles of wet Virginian soil splattered. He’s too heavy to carry now, […]
Continue ReadingWhat Are You Wearing Today?
My husband wakes up every morning and makes a decision. “What class clothing is this day?” What he does during the day determines what he wears. When he used to go into an office, the decision was simple. First class clothes came out of the closet. Now the projects he’s planned for the day require […]
Continue ReadingWho Knew When We Said “I do?”
My father-in-law used to shake his head and say with a bemused look on his face, “Who knew that someday…,” then he’d finish the sentence with something particular from that season of life. Honestly, it kind of irritated me. Like, what did you expect? Did you think you would always be 25? Or, didn’t you […]
Continue ReadingWhat Do You See?
“I no see it,” he says. His little spying eyes are squinted almost shut, focused on finding the far away airplane I point towards in the blue sky. “There,” I say to my three-year-old grandson. “See?” I assure him of what is up there that he can’t see. How often Jesus gently directs my gaze […]
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