A Driving Lesson
My first Sunday in Portugal I drove to church on the main highway, through city streets, and across a major bridge. The teammate I went with disliked driving so much...
Who Said Returning Would be Easy
If I could write a letter to my weary self in the spring of 2015, as I was surrounded by 20 years of our China life, packed in semi-sturdy fruit...
Losing Identity In The Return
I bit down on my tongue to stop the words I was thinking from flying out of my mouth. Staring across the table at my coffee date, I wondered how...
A Letter to the One Returning Home
Seven years ago, with all my earthly belongings bundled into two 50 pound suitcases, I flagged my last taxi to the airport. I dozed on the 13 hour flight arcing...
Impacting Others
“I wonder how large those windmills are in person?” The results of the conversation were an up close view of the giant windmills dotting the Portuguese landscape...
Just Get Over It Already {The Grove: Forgive }
I thought I was over it. At a women’s retreat with our organization, I shared some of my most recent struggles with a member care counselor....
How Will Our Children Adapt?
Our questions breeze right in through the open windows of our minds: fearful reactions can grip us with chilled anxiety, while sun-kissed, hope-filled responses enable us to envision a bright...
Throwing Caution to the Wind as I Connect to Myself, the Father and the Unknown
At the beginning of 2016, I completely disconnected from my normal life in South Africa. I packed up my apartment, resigned from my job as a veterinary nurse, threw caution...
Let Music do the Praying For You
I used to sing in the car to myself, to my babies, to the sky. In our “before Ireland” days, I’d wake up with the sun to drive my husband...
Recounting My Ways {The Grove: Passage}
Each birthday I ask God for a passage to focus on for the coming year. That particular portion of Scripture becomes a companion, traveling with me as a challenging, comforting,...
