Tell Them About Boundaries
With four sons ranging in age from 17 to 28, we've had a wide window on the world of teenage and young adult relationships, and we've watched the barriers we constructed to protect them fall away as they and their friends move into adulthood. The harsh reality is that, in a world where we can know in a flash what goes on in one another's...
The Answer to Anxiety
Today I must admit to being anxious. In the six days since I learned I have a cancerous tumor growing in my left breast, I have given myself just five minutes to cry and grieve over what might come of this. Behind a closed door, I questioned and wept, but then I walked out onto the path laid out before me. Conversations with doctors, with...
Tell Them That Love Shouldn’t Hurt
Heather Norris loved her family, her friends, school and sports. Her wide, friendly smile and blonde good looks made Heather popular among her classmates. As she graduated from high school, Heather made plans for a future that included college and, someday, marriage to the man of her dreams. Sadly, in 2007, Heather's life ended too soon...
Tell Them They Deserve Better
Her brown eyes pooled with tears and her lower lip quivered as she timidly approached. "My dad has been abusing me since I was little. I can't remember a time when he wasn't hurting me." This brave teenager's bold admission caught me off guard. After three days of talking with local high school students about abuse in dating relationships, I...
In Celebration of “Firsts”
I am a big fan of "firsts." Perhaps because I am a firstborn, it's part of my nature to look for fresh starts, for do-overs, for new beginnings. Christmas lights grow dim and we move toward the season of new days -- the beginning of a new year. I have not yet secured my Moleskine pocket calendar for this year ahead, but a large-spaced 2013...
The Gift of Light
Our first Advent candle has been lit. Twinkling Christmas lights illumine every corner. Inspired, I've begun making Bethlehem stars. I pick up the big ball of soft yellow wool and the tiny bamboo needles and carry them with me throughout the house. I tuck them into my bag when I go out, stealing moments to stitch the stellar points that will...
To feed the least of these
It is the season of "thanksgiving" so I stand in this field and give thanks. Through a summer that burned and baked, tested and tormented, this ground beneath my feet nurtured seed destined to feed many. We had planted it with prayers and with promises to multiply the harvest double, if not triple, so that starving children half a world away...
Joy in His Presence
In October, I traveled "31 Days to Crazy Joy" with the author Ann Voskamp. Reading her book, "One Thousand Gifts", has altered my slant on life and over the past year, counting joys and blessings has brought a richness and light to my days. Recently, as I cast my eye about to catch others lit by crazy joy, I looked among the "saints" who've...
It’s the season to take flight
They visited several times this week. Black birds swooped in to fill the branches of our trees, their "caws" echoing across the valley. The first morning of their arrival, I answered their call and stepped onto the porch. Suddenly, I found myself transported back in time. The black bird invasions have always been an event in our otherwise...
Life lessons learned with a pack on my back
The rustle of fallen leaves underfoot puts me back on Michigan's North Country Trail. Every autumn for 10 years I joined a handful of backpackers -- women only -- for three days of hiking and camping. Looking back, I realize that many valuable life lessons were learned with a pack on my back. Here are a few: Travel light. What seems...