The Kinsley Bear I received the bear pictured at the top of this blogpost a couple weeks ago. It means a great deal to me because it was given from a place of great pain . . . and tremendous love. The bear is called the “Kinsley Bear,” named after a local couple’s beautiful newborn […]
Tag Archives | family
Appreciating One Another’s Gifts
Sarah (left) and Emily (right) with their sister Katie at the baby shower My daughters Emily and Sarah recently hosted a baby shower for their sister Katie. I watched in awe as our home was transformed into bright, welcoming place with beautiful decorations and delightful food. Emily and Sarah are gifted in the ability to […]
Life out of Death
My friend’s daughter-in-law went for her routine prenatal exam . . . and there was no heartbeat. After praying for, celebrating, and naming their little boy, this young couple—and all of us who loved them—were confronted with a new and very different outcome than planned. Yet, in the days that followed, I watched as that […]
Becoming More Aware and Accepting of Autism
Patrick and his sisters How did my daughters learn to be more aware and accepting of the challenges their brother faced with his autism? Since today, April 2, is World Autism Awareness and Acceptance Day, I would like to post the chapter from my book, “Optimism for Autism,” which shows how that happened. May all […]
Keeping What’s Important
Yesterday, I helped my daughter pack her things to move out of an apartment in Charlotte. We went through all her belongings, boxed up some, and discarded many others. It took us 7 hours to process her possessions through the sieve of what remained important and what needed to be tossed. We are called to […]
Releasing Our Families to the Lord
“We almost fell off the side of a cliff today as we were riding in the truck.” Those were the first words I heard from my daughter Emily after she, her dad, and the rest of the medical mission team arrived in Guatemala this week. She sent an Instagram message to her sister Sarah, who […]
Choosing to be Kind
I am loving a visit from my mother My mom is visiting for the next two weeks. Since she lives 440 miles away from me, I especially treasure this time together. Like most mothers, my mom has certain sayings that have become part of the fabric of who she is, and my favorite one is, […]
Connecting the Generations
Almost every week at Sunday church, I receive the blessing of watching the little girl in this picture climb on top of the pew and wrap her arms around her mother and father. I look forward to that scene, and it always makes me smile. It demonstrates the interconnectivity of generations in a family. As […]