Boxed in with hundreds of other travelers and trailer trucks, my husband and I remained stranded on an Arizona highway for twelve hours. Slippery and icy roads had caused several accidents. Without notice, the Department of Transportation closed the highway. As temperatures dropped into the teens, we received no information indicating when the pass would…
Sobbing so hard she could hardly breathe, my daughter gasped out four words. The four words I heard stopped my heart and threw me off balance. “My baby just died.” Fortunately, my son-in-law intervened and clarified my daughter’s actual words. “My baby has jaundice.” Normally, jaundice itself would create anxiety. But in comparison with what…
Moving through my daily routine felt like swimming against a current. A restless night turned into an anxious day as I checked my phone every few minutes for an update. A watched pot never boils. This idiom perfectly describes how slowly time passes when you are waiting for something. Or in my situation it could…
“I plan to keep living until the day I die.” I first heard these words of wisdom nearly twenty-eight years ago, shortly after my mother-in-law received her terminal cancer diagnosis. The heavy burden of her illness didn’t prevent her from enjoying the remaining days of her life. Her words always resonate with me, but I…
It still catches me by surprise. All the busy energy of the Christmas season comes to a sudden stop. As the holiday slips away, the joy of advent gives way to an all-too-familiar sense of gloom. Experts refer to this as the “post-holiday blues” and it affects a surprising large number of us. When our…
Mystified, I looked at the package. I didn’t recognize the person in the return address. As I opened it, a smile lit up my face. Inside lay a dainty candy cane watch~but no card. “Do you think one of your readers sent it?” my husband asked. “You often write about your love of candy canes…
My good friend, Jennifer Elwood, recently published her first Bible study, Counting Up to Christmas, Twenty-four Gifts from the Gospel of Luke. Her book resonates deeply with me because I first became a believer during the Christmas season. I originally wrote this post as a guest on her blog. Please check out her website for…
Last night I finally completed the list my family repeatedly asked for: what do I want for Christmas? For someone who loves making lists~Christmas brings an added measure of joy. So many lists to create: Addresses for Christmas Cards Gift ideas for the people in my life Stores where said gifts can be purchased Dates…
Years ago I heard this story in a small Bible discussion group and it remains one of my favorites: Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called…
