The invitation arrived in January. “I hope you can come,” she said. “I would love for our families to meet.” She found me a few years back through Facebook, approaching with respect and grace. We reached out tentatively at first, then forged a sisterhood nurtured by a gradual opening of hearts around the shared love … Continue reading When Adoption Comes Full Circle
The Mystery of Joy
I held a grieving friend in my arms this week, absorbed the weight of her story and, together under a cold rain, we prayed for joy. Not the surface kind of happiness that comes from relief of weighty circumstances, but the kind of joy that anchors a soul to what is true even in the … Continue reading The Mystery of Joy
Sunrise to Sunset
I have always been a morning person. Even as a teenager I savored the dawn, loved watching the sun gradually touch the gray mountain peaks with gold. Here in Minnesota, I have been blessed to greet the sun rising over the lake outside my window every morning. We moved this week, and now are temporarily … Continue reading Sunrise to Sunset
It’s Time
After all of the trauma and drama, the loss and the fear, it was suddenly over. The three friends, unsure of the future, returned to the familiarity of their jobs and the lives they led before it all happened. The problem was, they were different now, and they had trouble picking up where they had … Continue reading It’s Time
The Sap is Rising
This is a post from a year ago that not many people saw. I re-worked it to share with you again while I am out of town this week. ******************************* It snowed again last week, each unique flake adding its beauty to the whole. The trees stood solid, accepting the coldness stored up for spring's … Continue reading The Sap is Rising
Polishing Pennies
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Sometimes I feel like a Cranky Old Woman. You know the ones - their benchmark for all things good is the past, and they long ago lost their wonder at the sheer miracle of living. Instagram can do that to me. But it's not the attention-seeking self-focus of the world … Continue reading Polishing Pennies
Celebrating Down Syndrome?
This past Sunday was World Down Syndrome Day, and many of us who love someone with DS posted their smiling pictures on our social media feeds (me included). But is Down Syndrome really something to celebrate? Many people want to eliminate Down Syndrome. By this they mean eliminating people with Down Syndrome in the womb. … Continue reading Celebrating Down Syndrome?
Where He Met Me
Photo by Diverse Graphics on Pexels.com Down at the end of Deerfoot Lane, where pavement gave way to ruts and rocks, He met me, perched on a sun-warmed boulder, the valley and mountains beyond hinting of other places, other lives. And I, like a fledgling jay, waiting to soar. In songs sung around a campfire … Continue reading Where He Met Me
She Did What She Could
"She did what she could," Jesus said. She had taken her life savings in the form of perfume and anointed His head, weeping in gratitude for His love. For His gaze, noticing her in her ordinary life. He had defended her before, to a demanding sister. "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will … Continue reading She Did What She Could
Marked by Ashes
When I first heard about Lent, it sounded like a strange sort of diet: This person was giving up chocolate, the other was giving up sugar, and a third was giving up TV. To what end, I was never sure. It seemed to me like a religious do-over for failed New Year's resolutions. Lent wasn't … Continue reading Marked by Ashes
A View of the Lake 