A Hug From 20 Years Ago
A week after my 18th birthday, I boarded a plane that would take me to Ecuador for a year. A picture was taken that day at the airport -...
Category: Grief/Loss
Parting with Tradition
December has arrived, and with it the full onslaught of Christmas preparations. Our house is decorated; now I’m turning my attention to the holiday baking, gift-buying, and end-of-the-year and...
Surrendering to the God Who Sees
I stood by the fence, glad for the mask covering my face as I stared into the sunny schoolyard, hoping the brightness would hide any emotion that my eyes...
Not As It Should Be
“When I pass from this life to the next, I do not want to come back to this place. No, I will not come back to my home, this...
Hidden Loss
This post contains sensitive content regarding pregnancy loss. If that is too triggering for you, please feel free to stop reading! Miscarriage. It tends to be...
Displacement
Flight. Gunshots. Phone calls. Frantic packing. Hurried goodbyes. Faces taut with fear. Questions without answers. Everything, gone. Arrival. Strange beds....
Gimme a Break
A man’s perspective on rest, healing and renewal I was 42 years old and had been serving internationally for nearly 20 years before I took a...
Learning Where to Look
Edging up to the crowd around the stage at the neighborhood’s traditional annual fish festival, the oversized Penn State hoodie I was wearing didn’t stand out as much as...
Goodbyes are Awful {The Grove: Goodbye}
I was ten years old for my first, genuine goodbye. Our church prayed for us before we left for our initial move to Mongolia. I sobbed on the sanctuary...
The Guilt of Leaving
At age 21, I moved from Michigan to Cape Town, South Africa, for what I thought would be five months abroad. About two months into my stay, I...
