“I don't like squishy food,” I said, over my first meal in the dining room at Calvary Bible School. “When I was a little girl, I once sat at the table for over two hours refusing to eat my soup. The soup had horrible slimy lumps in it that made me feel like choking.” Will, …
As a roaring lion
"I've been waking up feeling depressed," I admitted to my mentors. Shifting in my rocking chair, I set down my drink of raspberry mint tea and sighed. "During the day, the yucky feeling goes away and I'm able to function. But it's hard to get up in the mornings when I feel so awful." Being …
God’s gifts
The blog has been quiet for a bit, but hopefully that is about to change since the UPS man arrived yesterday. What does the UPS man have to do with my blog? Simple enough. He brought me a present from God. About a month ago, Elijah picked up the computer from the end table beside …
Open Hands (by Victoria Miller)
I fight desperately--straining, tugging refusing to release this gift that I demand is mine. I hold on for dear life to what I crave but it slips and I feel the whiplash from my fall. I lie, face planted into the ground my fists still clenched in rage. “Give me! Give me what I need!” …
Under the Stairs, and the Storm that Wasn’t
The week after the hailstorm, tornadoes threatened to destroy Kansas. As dire weather forecasts poured in that Thursday, I moved restlessly about the house, putting things in order. I don’t know why I felt like I needed to tidy my nest—if a tornado flattened our house, it wouldn’t matter how clean the house was. But …
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Plenty of Room
On Mother's Day, I'd like to share a tiny piece of my family history with you. My mother did not have an easy life. She raised nine children, four of whom were deaf. Her gentle but tenacious spirit pressed through the difficulty to equip her children to live the best lives possible. She spent hours …
Hail, Friends, and a Stainless Steel Helmet
For all my rascally friends who are inordinately interested in how I look with a bowl on my head, here you go. Today the earth is bright and clean, and I'm not soaking wet, but in this picture I'm clutching the shovel that I used during the pouring rain and hail to dig a trench around …
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Notes scribbled on the back of a church bulletin
Thoughts are like birds that circle far overhead, and when they swoop down close enough to touch, you have to grab a few silky feathers before they vanish into the atmosphere. I won't tell you where I was when the thoughts came circling, but I rummaged through my purse and found a pencil and a church bulletin. …
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If I were homeless
If I were homeless, I would want to be treated with dignity and respect. I would want people to see past the street dirt and grime to my tender heart beating underneath. I would ache for them to know that I have feelings--hopes, fears, and despair--and that I am not cold and uncaring. Even if …
What I Have Been Reading
It's about time for another overview of some of the books I have been reading. I'm not going to list nearly all of the books I have read in the past few months, but I will name a few I can recommend. I'm part of a local library book club, which I love, but I don't always love …
