I finger the berries. Frozen berries with the words, picked July 30, written on the bag. The day of Elijah's wake. I remember the man walking in and bringing them. A stranger. Drawn in. Knowing the tragedy. Wanting to help. He looked around. He saw what was left of a red headed, well loved boy; his life laid out in piles in the parlor of those who have gone before him. Memories, pictures, graduation hat and gown. A life interrupted suddenly He handed me the berries. He left. I finger those berries and I make a smoothie ... View Post
What Really Matters Anyway?
January 11, 2021 I wrote this 7 years ago. I have reposted this today. The grief still stays. It changes. The longing to see my son is still so raw. Yet, my treasure still rests in heaven. I hope you're encouraged by these words. I pray that no matter what your days holds, that you know, "What Really Matters, Anyway?" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 11, 2014 You didn't' store up treasure here on this earth. You weren't here long enough. The things of this ... View Post
I Can’t Grow A Garden, But I Can Plant My Feet Firmly On Solid Ground
My feet are planted firmly on the ground. It's about the only thing I plant. A farmer's wife that can not grow a garden. Can you believe it? It's true. It's the ugly truth. There is nothing green, or any other color, for that matter, that prospers under my thumb. I am more interested in cultivating souls. Cultivating ground that yields to our Savior. Soft earth willing to accept life in Christ. Or the hard packed earth, where trouble and pain have made joy almost obsolete. This is the ground in which I want to plant seeds. Seeds that sow eternal life, grace and peace for the ... View Post
Sometimes I Just Want The World To Stop
5 months. Half the time I carried you. Long enough for your niece to be born, seasons to change, your father to have cancer and our hearts to break. Each step forward feels like an eternity; a conscious effort; an act of the will to live without a piece of you. The desire for the world to stop; because something is so dreadfully not right. 5 months. Almost half a year. It doesn't seem possible. Sometimes in this life we are called to hard steps. The journey rough and unforgiving. Finding sure footing is imperative. As we walk this ... View Post
His Stocking is Empty, But the Manger Isn’t; Finding Christmas Joy
His stocking is empty. The stocking I made to match with our farm boy. A stocking I have filled for 17 precious years. Stockings that were 4 and then became 8 and this year would have been 9. But after 17 years. It is empty. It hangs limp, while all the others burst from the seams; awaiting their precious owners. But it's not about the stockings, or the tree. It's not about the presents; but His presence. And as I stepped outside this morning, the heavens declared their Majesty. The moon and the stars in all their bright, glory rang out the song that, Jesus is ... View Post
It’s a Big, Deep Breath Kind Of A Day. . . Day #28 of Thankfulness
It's a big deep breath kind of a day. It's been 4 months. 4 months since we were woken from our sleep with the news that our boy was in the presence of the King of Kings. 4 months since we placed our red headed, handsome, just graduated boy in the sod of this earth. How thoughts of that night still rock my world. And it's this day, that America celebrates all that we are thankful for. The bounty and provision given in desperate times. Being thankful is a practice I have cultivated throughout the months and years of my life. Seeking wholeheartedly ... View Post
