I’m cuddled up listening to this week’s online sermon, a familiar experience on Sunday mornings. It’s different than experiencing church in person, but I still find myself lifted and inspired with each passing week. Today the pastor is discussing faith.  As he gets further and further into his message he says: “Faith is making bold moves, into an unknown future, with reliable information.” I’m instantly…

As an educator and mother I’ve always been inspired and intrigued by the words of children. They truly do teach us as much as we teach them, even if it sounds cliche, it’s accurate and honest. It’s also accurate that these little words of wisdom and perspective are usually sporadic and come completely unexpected. In one simple car ride the lessons and unpredictability that come…

I flip through the pages of my journal, quickly reading the words that fill each page. There is so much emotion on these delicate fibers. So much pain, so much loss, so much unexpected and unappreciated grief held within the ink and embellished white sheets.  As I read the pain, I also notice the reminiscence of the stories these pages simultaneously hold. There, beside the…

I can hear her sweet voice as she reads to my children. They are laughing and though I can’t see them the joy is evident by the noises that are coming from their room. I can hear her say their names sweetly as she continues the story. Everything is right. Everything is perfect. Everything feels just as it should be.  I step into the hall…

She had driven herself to the hospital. This time it was undeniable. Things were changing quickly. She was sick. She was dying. She was slipping away, piece by piece, no matter how hard I tried to dismiss the reality.  As she lay in the hospital bed, tired but conversing with us, I pulled out my phone and said, “Mom, I need you to tell me…