Grief
A Story Unfinished
When one person who has lost a child encounters another who has lost a child, they connect immediately. Finding another who has walked that valley of the shadow of death is both wonderful and terrible; wonderful because here is someone who understands and has been there, terrible because here is another who has lost a…
Read MoreLord Have Mercy
They say the storm was 2 miles across and stayed on the ground for 20 miles. They say it made a direct hit on two schools (full of children) and a hospital. They say that in one school, they aren’t doing search and rescue anymore. It’s search and recovery now. All I can think to…
Read MoreWhen an Extrovert Goes Quiet: Finding Myself after Loss
I’m a slightly shy, somewhat awkward extrovert. By shy, I mean that I really have to psyche myself up to walk into a room full of strangers or into a group of people I haven’t met before. (I’ve never been so nervous as the day I arrived at the Miami airport to meet up with…
Read MoreAin’t No Fortunate One
As soon as the band began rocking out, that grin flashed across her face like lightning. Some folks are born to wave the flag, Ooh, they’re red, white and blue. And when the band plays “Hail to the chief”, Ooh, they point the cannon at you. It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no…
Read MoreMother of a Teen… Sort Of
Thirteen years ago today: Five years ago: Happy thirteenth birthday, Elli. It’s weird to think I could be the mother of a teen today. On the one hand, I’m grateful that Elli didn’t have to endure puberty in a body that didn’t cooperate with her. I’m relieved that we didn’t have to put her…
Read MoreEvil Is Not and Cannot Be Good
An organization called “Faith Biblical Counseling” tweeted this today: “Hurting and grieving parents are often comforted by remembering that Jesus loves their children more than they ever could.” Reading statements like this makes me see red. This idea diminishes the grief and loss that those parents face. It refuses to name evil as such. It…
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