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Grief Seasons
The author of Ecclesiastes in the Bible tells us that there is a season for everything (chapter 3, verses 1-8). Our bodies and minds adjust to and respond to the changing seasons. The seasons define the rhythm of our activities throughout the year, and mark the passage of time. So, when we suffer a great […]
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Gold
Make new friends, but keep the old One is silver, the other gold Last week I talked about new friends and how quickly they can become precious. I am blessed to have met many people in the twists and turns of my life. Only a very few turned out to be not such good friends. […]
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Silver
My Girl Scout career was short-lived. I was a Brownie Scout for 2 years in elementary school. Then my mother said I needed to choose between scouts and piano lessons. I chose piano and took lessons for six years. I finally realized I was sorely lacking in musical skill and should have stuck with scouting. […]
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A Firm Foundation
There are certain songs that are forever lodged in my mind. Every once in a while one will tickle my ear at a random moment. Some go back a looooong way: to vacation Bible school, church camp, Sunday school. Some are just silly fun songs, like “Little Cabin in the Woods.” Some are spiritual, like […]
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What I Would Give
So many times I have heard bereaved parents say, “I would give anything to have my child back.” I have said those same words myself. I screamed them up to God. I prayed them even though I knew God had a larger plan than I could comprehend. Even though I knew God is not the […]
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Lonely
I am lonely for my daughter. Not lonely because I am alone, abandoned, friendless, Godless. None of those things. In the past few years, I have been more intentional about paying attention to God’s presence. I remind myself that He’s always here; it’s me who wanders off sometimes. I appreciate friends more. I know I […]
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Seeing Through New Eyes
I talked last week about being on a road trip with my granddaughter. I love going back to my hometown and the surrounding area, seeing how things have changed, some for the worse, but many for the better. What’s particularly nice about traveling with someone who has never been there before, especially a young person, […]
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Road Trip
I just returned from a road trip to West Tennessee with my oldest granddaughter. I made the same trip last summer with her older brother. I grew up in a very small town about 40 miles NE of Memphis. My brother and his family live in Memphis and I still have many old friends and […]
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Pray for Little Things
According to author Anne Lamott, there are three essential prayers: Help, Thanks, and Wow. I am embarrassed to admit that my prayer life has not always been what anyone would call robust. I was raised to say my prayers at bedtime and we always said the blessing over meals, my brother and I each reciting […]
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What if They Forget?
Last week I posted about a concern a lot of bereaved parents have when their child’s spouse or significant other moves on to a new relationship. It feels like losing another part of their child. The world keeps turning even though there is a hard stop where their child’s earthly existence ceases. A similar fear […]