The Faithful Who Stay
I was one of the lucky ones, one of those who had parents who prayed for me and always prayed the will of God over me. When I left in 2010, my dad ‘knew.’ He knew it wasn’t going to be a temporary thing. But my mom, as supportive as she was, could not reconcile […]
Loving Our Kids Through Transition
“Mom, I really miss my friends.” We’d moved to the Middle East a few months before, and my oldest – then 3. 8 years old – was really struggling with leaving our old life behind. Her downcast look made my heart sink. “Oh sweetheart, I know. I miss my friends so much too…” I wanted […]
Dealing With Guilt From Afar
The Christmas-y pillow with a snowman looked vaguely familiar as I picked it up from the sofa in the community room. Then I saw the name fixed securely in the corner with laundry tape: Amanda Stauffer. My mother’s name. She passed away at this facility about three years ago fighting Alzheimer’s that robbed her of […]
The Mystery Box and Resurfaced Wisdom
A little over two years ago as we prepared to move back to Texas, we were packing and purging stuff from a decade’s worth of our life in China. The task proved to be more overwhelming than I imagined, and by the last day we had major decision fatigue. Choosing what to pack and what […]