The Mix of Mother’s Day Emotions
On the cusp of this Mother’s Day, I remember my worst Mother’s Day. Sometimes, I still wake in a sweat, heart pounding, reaching for the phone. “I need to call my mom,” I think. And then, in an instant, I remember reality. I put the phone down on my nightstand. In 2022, My mother was […]
Holding True Hope
I write a lot about hope. I suppose it’s because I’m a huge believer in hope. As a former therapist and now as a life coach helping women deal with loss and grief, I know how shattering life can be and the necessity for holding onto hope. I think about hope this morning, when I […]
Making Every Day a Great Mother’s Day (Part 1)
I called my mom on Mother’s Day morning, 2002. She thanked me for sending her favorite flowers—red carnations. We chatted excitedly about her upcoming move from Ohio to Wisconsin. In just a few short weeks, she would be within five minutes of our family. We hadn’t been closer than a whole day’s drive for 45 […]
What To Do With Screaming Fear and Searing Grief
Right in the middle of our country road, a couple hundred yards from our farm’s gravel drive, past ravine with creek winding and pines soaring, a woman collapses into my arms sobbing, screaming, pulling her hair side-ways hard. HE’S DEAD! HE’S DEAD! I KNOW HE’S DEAD! I didn’t know her. She looked 30-something, physically fit, […]
Finding Meaning & Hope in Life’s Burns
On a sunny spring morning with nearly no breeze, I stood in the still-dormant grass of the ditch just a half-mile up from our home. I watched that old, white farmhouse burn. Flames swirled orange out of every window and door. I felt the heat on my face from across the street. Our 25-year-old son […]
How I Planted A Garden of Joy
Last week, I planted a garden. Not just any garden. Not a garden for me. But the garden ended up being for me, in a way. Maybe for you too? Here’s the start of my story. Please join me over at Different Dream Living for the conclusion. I have this friend around my age. […]
Pieces of Eden: How to Find Joy in the Midst of Grief
This morning, Nick found the limp body under a young pine by the horse riding arena. Rose stood at a distance, guilty, while Nick examined the fawn. Lifeless. Still warm. How can a dog I love so much do such a terrible thing? We’re not in Eden anymore. I am sad. The poor doe who […]
Loving and Forgiving Our Mothers this Mother’s Day
Hi Friends! I’m over at Jolene Philo’s Different Dream blog today for a special Mother’s Day piece I wrote. Hope you’ll join me there (link below). You won’t want to miss the surprise ending. Here’s the beginning: “Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!” “You sent me flowers! They’re gorgeous! But you told me you weren’t going to […]
Silver Hair and Wisdom Hard-Won
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV I sit across from him at our favorite Italian restaurant, waiting for our pizza to come out of the wood-fired oven behind […]
#MeToo And Then Some
Who would win Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year”? Who would be revealed on last Wednesday’s cover. For the first time ever, I was curious. Turns out, the “winner” isn’t a person, per se. Turns out, the “winner” is . . . The #MeToo movement—a movement that has become a tsunami of women standing up […]
Abundance from Dependence
What do you do when your dreams aren’t coming true? What do you do when your heart breaks from the ache of wanting something so much and it looks like that one dream may never be yours? Like Hannah who wanted a child. Desperately. So what did Hannah do? Instead of lashing out at her […]
When Mother’s Day Reminds You of Death—The Way to Find Life
Mother’s Day, 2002 I called my mother to make sure she received the dozen red carnations I sent as a surprise. “They’re gorgeous! But you said you weren’t sending me flowers for Mother’s Day this year because of the bench.” “I know. But you’ve always told me flowers should be given to the living, not […]