Sweet Hymns of Joy
I know what it is to struggle for joy in the Christmas season. I know what it is to feel the dissonance between pain in my own heart and the entire world seeming to be laughing in joy. It was the week before Thanksgiving, 2012, when my mom drew her last breath. We hadn’t seen […]
My Christmas Mom
As our twenty-fourth Christmas overseas approached, an overwhelming sadness shrouded me. Shouldn’t it get easier with time? We arrived to Central America on December 28, 1991 with a babe in arms, ready for any adventure the Lord called us to. Over the years we built many wonderful relationships and established Christmas traditions of our own, […]
Despite the Circumstances
A seventy-mile trip. On a donkey. Nine months pregnant. If I were Mary, those circumstances would not have been a reason to rejoice. Those seventy miles would probably have included a plethora of complaints and lots of sighing. A reasonable amount of frustration during the long journey and a thought or two about a certain […]
The Resilience of Dying
I am not known for being an optimist. But when I think back to my expectations before I moved here, I can only smile (and sigh) at my innocent optimism. I had lived overseas before, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. I knew it would be hard. I knew it would […]
Hooked on Change
A couple of weeks ago I was sitting next to my 10-year-old daughter on the couch. She was still wearing the pajamas she had worn the night before, even though it was already 4pm. She was reading her favorite book series and I was lazing on my computer. In the middle of that quiet moment […]
Why I Should Be a Pillar of Salt and Other Thoughts on Remembering
There are sensations that stick with you for life. When I recall my earliest memories it is of the blue/brown/green mix of shag carpet in our living room. I would spread bare toes into it and lie on my back, ceiling fan whirling overhead. When the weather snaps cold I crave the thick tomato base […]
Invitation to a Prodigal
I have been in Cambodia for four years, and what do I have to show for it? A whole lot of pain and struggle, a few words I can speak in this foreign language, and some great sandal tan lines on my dirty feet. I long for more. Far too often I am just like […]
The Anatomy of Rest
I am a bit of an exercise enthusiast. I started out slow with Pilates and walking before moving on to running with light weight lifting; and now, my most recent switch, is to heavier weight lifting with more intense cardio. I love it. It is an amazing stress reliever and keeps my body and soul […]
The Life-Changing Magic of Praying For Salsa
My word for 2016 was SALSA. I know – not exactly a deep, soulful, year-centering word. But for me, it was a relief, a release of emotion from the not-exactly-met hopes of my previous one words “try” and “submit.” It’s not that those years were years of failure, but what I had hoped they’d mean – […]
The Gift that Dwells in Me
The first Christmas overseas, I sobbed—loud, embarrassing heaves, not gentle, wistful tears—and earned myself an awkward consolation pat on the head from a male teammate who wasn’t sure what to make of this small town Alabama girl who couldn’t pull herself together. I was young, sad, and missed home. Fast forward 11 years, and I […]
Cross Cultural Comic Relief
I moved to Zimbabwe as a single woman at the age of 26, on accident. Yup, you read that right, accident. As in unintentionally. I came for two weeks, came back for three months, then I returned leading a team of volunteers for three weeks with an option to stay on for a year. Ten […]
Healing Humor Only Heaven Could Deliver
“Do you care if we have to steal something?” This was the question my neighbor asked me one night at ten p.m. when our bathroom pipe had burst, water was spraying everywhere, and I had frantically pounded on her door to ask for help. I had no idea how to find a plumber in Asia […]