How to Help People Survive Suffering
It was a morning I’ll never forget. My folks called and asked me to come by the house. Their typical enthusiastic tone was absent; in its place was a serious sadness I couldn’t identify. I opened the door and saw red, tearful eyes, their carriage weighing heavy with each step. We sat down. Everything was […]
Killing the Weeds That Grow from a Wounded Soul
I know you have been there. If it helps, I am there quite often. Those moments in life when you think . . . Did that R E A L L Y just happen? Did I H O N E S T L Y hear that correctly? Do you know how hurtful that was to […]
Getting Gutted or Gaining Freedom: The Gadget You Must Give Up
Some days, walking by faith isn’t so challenging. Other days, such as today, choosing to walk by faith is harder than trying to keep 20 preschoolers holding on to the rope on a field trip. That rope is there for a great purpose, beyond keeping teachers somewhat sane. It simplifies what could be utter chaos. […]
Three Significant Skills Required for a Remarkable, Successful Life
An Olympic Event—Minus the Award Ceremony! The new school year is in full swing! Shortly before school started, I stopped by Target to grab a few things. As I turned into the parking lot, I realized almost every family with school-aged children in the city—one of the fastest growing in the nation—had decided to go […]
The Only Answer to 9/11 . . . and to Life
I had just hopped on the treadmill, my one-hour reprieve when Jon was little. Music flooded my ear buds as I picked up the pace. All was well. I glanced at the TV to see the morning news . . . typical drama. The screen was split. On one side was the news anchor, and […]
Hope That Will Never Let You Down
Her husband softly kissed her forehead, then let go of her hand as her hospital bed was moved into the operating room. For six hours, her family waited . . . and waited. Eventually, the surgeon emerged from the operating room and confirmed the surgery had gone very well. In the months that followed, the […]
Why Being Crushed Is Essential to Creating a Beautiful Life
Ever wish you could turn back the pages of time and do things differently? I felt this way the other day as my son Austin and I worked on a project. An old song1Waylon Jennings, “Old Church Hymns and Nursery Rhymes,” MetroLyrics, CBS Interactive Inc., http://www.metrolyrics.com/old-church-hymns-and-nursery-rhymes-lyrics-waylon-jennings.html, accessed Aug. 8, 2018. my dad and I love […]
Turning Disasters into Timeless Memories
They say there are two things we can be certain about in this life: death and taxes. Well, I don’t know who “they” are, but “they” left out a bunch of stuff . . . by a long shot. Last month we spent a weekend away celebrating my son Jon’s 21st birthday. Jon has numerous […]
Safety: Can I Count On You?
I first met Lawrence Daly back in 2010. Larry was working with a mutual friend of ours to investigate a sexual assault case. The victim was a child with disabilities. They were working out of an office next to mine, so I occasionally drifted over and asked questions. Okay, maybe it was more like a […]
Cool Games You Need to Try When Summer Is the Hottest
It’s only a couple weeks until school resumes, which—this far into summer—makes most parents jump for joy. When my kids were little, I don’t think they ever ran out of energy . . . E V E R! As summer approached, I would make little summer to-do notebooks. They were filled with all kinds of […]
Resting or Rushing: Why It’s a Life or Death Matter
It had only been 30 minutes, but I was already as fidgety and skittish as a wet, cold cat. Not long ago, my husband and I went on the Insight for Living Ministries 2018 Alaska Cruise Conference. That sounds lovely until you know I don’t travel well, and leaving my son Jon who has disabilities […]
When You Get Blindsided by “It”
The x-ray displaying the neck and skull on the computer screen was enormous. While waiting in the surgeon’s examination room, I studied the image of the contorted structure. The saying goes, “Someone always has it worse”—well, this someone had it worse: the neck curved in the wrong direction, and a small kink at the base […]