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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…
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When People Move On
I belong to two online Christian faith-based bereaved parents’ groups. One has more than 2000 members and one has nearly 8000. Those numbers are staggering to me. And, of course, there are many more grieving parents who aren’t comfortable sharing their vulnerability with strangers. My heart breaks for all of us. I wish no one…
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Afraid of the Dark
As a child I was afraid of the dark. I grew up in a very old house. My bedroom was upstairs and, if I had forgotten to leave a light on, it was pretty scary going up there at night. In addition, our house was rumored to be haunted. There was a creepy antique wardrobe…