Jennifer, a registered nurse, wheeled my husband back in to the recovery room after his second cataract surgery. Even though Hank was groggy and slurring his words a bit, I immediately recognized the story he'd apparently been recounting to her. "Our son, Aaron, had emergency surgery at this very hospital when he was only seven... Continue Reading →
Finding Steady Love in My Unsteady World "Mom, I want to be home-schooled... forever!" Today was the second time in a month I've received this dramatic, desperate message from our seventh-grade daughter -- while she was at school. Jaycie came home three days ago wearing the jacket of a new beau, but apparently gave it back... Continue Reading →
It was September of 1990, the Friday of Labor Day weekend. I'd been working part-time and living with my mom since my husband had left a year earlier. That week, though, God had miraculously opened up a full-time job, actually at the printing supply store that printed the album covers (cassette sleeves) of my first... Continue Reading →
Two nights ago, I had the most harrowing nightmare. My daughter-in-law and I had been out shopping with our children, which included my 10-year-old daughter and my three granddaughters, ages three, five, and eight. When my dream started, our little girls had just disappeared! Kate and I began frantically searching all around the little town, calling... Continue Reading →
It was the spring of 2001. The dream I had that night was as real as anything, and I remember every detail to this day. My husband and I were both flying through the air into Heaven, and we landed simultaneously into two fold-down cushioned seats in a very large auditorium. The seat covers were... Continue Reading →
My husband helped me get the guest bedroom ready for the long-awaited arrival of our daughter and grandchildren. We stocked up on groceries, bathed the smelly dog, and even hung a new clock on the wall, which had been bare for months since the old one broke. We cleaned up areas that seem to get... Continue Reading →
I had a telephone conversation with one of my daughters-in-law yesterday that took me back to my own toddler-raising years. Two-year-old Livi is as headstrong and highly intelligent as her father (my oldest son) was, and is therefore very challenging to train. Her blond curls, baby blue eyes and unwitting charm of a smile disarm even... Continue Reading →
It was late May 2015, just over a year ago. I was in my fourth month serving as interim worship/music director at a church in a nearby city, and had really been missing being with my family at our home church. My nine-year-old daughter, Jaycie, would ask almost weekly by then, "Mom, when are you... Continue Reading →
Inspiring Hope 