If You’ve Ever Been Forgotten
I opened Drew’s backpack to discover that his class picture was in. As any mom does, I scanned the familiar faces looking for my boy. I scanned again. Then I looked at every individual’s face, wondering how I could miss my red-headed child. I couldn’t believe what I didn’t see. Drew was not there. I looked at the date when the photo was taken and I didn’t recall him missing class that day. I texted his teacher asking if he was absent. She promptly looked into it and texted me back. She discovered that Drew had been separated from the …
What If God Doesn’t Grant Your Desire?
What is the one thing you desire? That one thing you’ve asked of God? Now that you’ve got it in mind, consider what David says in Psalm 27:4: “I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking [Him] in His temple” (HCSB). I had two striking thoughts when I read this verse in light of… the “one thing” I desire. First, I was a little ashamed. David’s “one thing” boiled down to simply …
Crying Over Hot Dogs
My poor friend Heather. She probably wasn’t expecting her statement of, “I’m not sure if he has bought hot dogs yet” to bring me to tears. But she’s a counselor for a living. I was pretty sure she could handle it. I was shocked by my meltdown. After trying to gracefully hang up the phone as quickly as possible, I began to examine what in the world caused my reaction. It seemed to be caused by quite a few little things that had added up: 1. I called our local garden supply store for the third times in 2 weeks to find …
“And God Whispered, “I wanted YOU to See Her.”
She and I watched our children play together in front of us. While I didn’t know her well, I knew of her and she and I had chatted some in the past. Something about our brief time together that day burdened me. I could tell she was frazzled, but there was more to it. She was sad. I can’t begin to suppose the reason for her melancholy or whether she was just having a bad day or something else. She left before we had had a chance to talk longer, but I couldn’t shake my burden for her. As I got …
Love in the Little Things
As I was standing in the narrow grocery store aisle, trying to locate a coupon on my phone, she turned the corner to the aisle, smiled, and took another route. Her two well-behaved little girls were in the cart, neither of them older than 2 I’d venture, and despite just a quick glance at her, I could tell that she was a bit frazzled. I guess for a mom still in those exhausting years with little ones, it’s pretty easy for me to spot that look. I didn’t see her again until I took my few items to the express check-out …
The Bradford Pear and the Oak: a Metaphor
Opening the door to my car a few weeks ago, I saw it. The beginnings of the white blossoms on the Bradford Pear tree. My heart rejoiced. Spring is here! Over the coming weeks, I watched in awe as the multitude of Bradford Pears began to bloom into a snowy canvas of beauty. Then the white blossoms began to give way to brilliant green leaves. As I drank the beauty of another life-after-death example in God’s creation in these weeks, I noticed that the larger trees looked like they were still living in the dead of winter. But just this week, …