The Gifts Death has Stolen
I heard him on skype from the other side of the wall, working it through one word and step at a time. Tones were hushed and kind. I was listening to our role in a ministry die. Emails came from across the ocean, messages cloaked in vagaries, hurts hidden between the lines. I read how […]
The Shadow of Death
I rushed home as soon as I heard the news. My brain still woozy with jet-lag and reverse culture-shock, I stood with my siblings and cousin in front of my grandpa’s casket on a blustery day in February, a hole dug deep in the frozen ground as we said our final goodbyes. Dust to dust, […]
Permission to Feel
I find wisdom in the pages of a children’s book. A simple picture book about a dog losing a ball. Each page a watercolor masterpiece of a simple story of joy lost and joy regained. My nearly three year old middle boy sighing sad at all the right parts as we leafed through the pages. […]
When Death Leads to Life
Transition, re-entry, cultural adjustment—no matter what the label, cross-cultural living involves parts of ourselves dying on a regular basis. When I first moved overseas, I didn’t fully comprehend all of me that was dying when I boarded the plane. The same held true three years ago when I boarded a flight home from Ireland. From […]
Sorrow
You’d never guess it when you meet her. She’s a vivacious, “life of the party” kind of gal. Her laughter is as bright and full as her head of red curls. But my dear friend, Brooke Holliday … she knows sorrow, the kind of pain I can’t bear to imagine. For years now, I’ve watched […]