Birthmother — Such a Beautiful Name
You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy… (Psalm 30:11). Tomorrow, many women will celebrate how — through the arrival of a child, that glorious gain that’s both beautifully life-changing and heart-enlarging (and yes, sometimes excruciatingly heart-wrenching) — a new…
Donnie Harrison — Another Sort of Hero
Our Father in heaven… (Matthew 6:9a — ESV). This morning, I tucked into Ian’s keepsake box several newspaper articles and the memorial bulletin from his heroic friend Riley Howell‘s funeral. As I closed the lid, I thought, The loss of a friend is no small thing. I…
Jesus-Joy for Breakfast
May my Lord never let me grow cold in my longing to be a cup in His hand for the quenching of His own royal thirst. ~~ Oswald Chambers A simple thing — a tray of toast. Coffee with cream. Jam and sliced apples. A…
Our Prayer for Jacob
On Wednesday, March 6th, we celebrated our son Jacob’s 19th “Happy ‘Gotcha’ Day” — a day we celebrate much like a birthday, because it’s the day he officially joined our family through the miracle of adoption. As with marriage, someone who is licensed to officiate…
Let Your Light Shine
“You are the light of the world…. let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14-16 — Holman Bible). When I taught Christian education some years ago, I was affectionately…
MEPS — More Extraordinary Plans, Son
‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD, ‘plans to prosper and not harm you, to give you a hope and a future’ (Jer. 29:11). This morning, without any real fanfare or hype, I–though terribly under-dressed in pjs worn for the…
Love Like His
Posted first on FB in 2014–but worthy to repost here. Not because the words are eloquent but rather, because His love was–and still is–lavish. So blessed… *************************************************** A couple “pre-Valentine’s Day” days ago, Allie asked a simple request. “Momma, I want to paint your fingernails.”…
You Were Made For Me
On our Ian’s 21st birthday, I’ll share the poem I wrote for him when he was just a baby. We remain eternally grateful for his birth mom, my dear friend, Cindy — who made a selfless choice when she chose to give her unborn baby…
Growing Conversations with God
I realized recently how much my conversations with our daughter Allie have changed since she joined us almost seven years ago. Because she was only two, many of our “talks” consisted of her speaking a language we rarely fully understood, though I did my best…
Miracle in the Mess
This past Sunday, our family again made our annual trip to Boyd’s Christmas Tree farm to pick out a tree. It was a lovely day — sunny and just cool enough to warrant jackets and mittens (at least for me). We found our tree, and…