Change and the Last Page
I’m not a fan of change. When I was five years old I told a family member that I didn’t want to turn six; I had just gotten used to being five. That’s pretty much quintessential me. I’m also not a fan of suspense, which is an element of change. When novels carry too much […]
The Defining Power of Memory
Last summer my family met up for a vacation in Thailand. It is a rare opportunity to have all of us in the same country let alone in the same house for an entire week. Most days we just sat around the table or on the couches recalling our favorite Mongolian memories. Do you remember […]
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 […]
High Speed Waiting
“High speed waiting.” This sign above the entrance to a waiting room in a bus station in China made me smile. It was attempting to describe the room where one waits for the high speed bus. But, isn’t this how we often feel about waiting: fly through it, and get it over quick? One time […]
Admit It . . .
Ten months ago I felt a slight pain in my left shoulder. I ignored it as I figured with time it would eventually get better. It did improve over the summer, but this fall it started hurting. Again, I just ignored it, but after two months it was worse. Christmas season was in full swing, […]
I’m Done with Self Care
Dog-tired and bone-weary, I slipped into Seat 33A. Loose ends tied up. Last minute details checked off. Hugs hugged. Home assignment begun. What kept me moving in the weeks prior was the hope of a few days in a quiet cabin in the woods. A little stream providing rhythm for birds’ melodies outside the window. […]
Stone Piles
Four years ago, we moved our family to SE Asia. With kids aged nine, six and three, we boarded a snow covered plane in Raleigh, North Carolina and landed twenty-four hours later in the equatorial heat of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. While our luggage took a detour to Geneva, our courage arrived intact and our overseas […]
When the Connections Appear to Dim
“Your father has Alzheimers” – that was the diagnosis given to us several years ago. The weight of that statement struck our hearts with dread and a heaviness of grief as we processed that this man we loved would lose his connection with us and with the world around him. As we left that appointment, […]
Discipline for Endurance’s Sake
“A cross that comes purely from God – and is cordially welcomed without any self-reflective acts – is both painful and peaceful. In contrast, if such a cross is unwillingly received and is repelled by the life of nature, it becomes doubly severe. In fact, our own internal resistance is harder to bear than the […]
That One Time All the Power Ran Out Everywhere
If any time earned the title for a crisis, it was this one. The country’s petrol pumps had run dry. Power cuts increased to 16 hours a day. Gas for cooking was unavailable for purchase. Rice, milk, and even water were in short supply. The electricity was off when we woke up and when we […]
Praising God through the Pain
Seven years, two countries, multiple new friendships, hundreds of blog posts, countless conversations – all have passed since “that” night. And yet each August I still lean into the Father and revisit portions of the pain and hurt. I contemplate shattered dreams and a changed life. Tears fall more frequently, and melancholy is more prevalent. […]
When Going to the Copy Store Becomes Your Arch Nemesis
I lived in dread of making copies. My first year in China I didn’t have a printer, so nearly every day I headed to a small copy shop to print lesson plans and copy handouts. It was very simple, even with my extremely limited Chinese. I could just say the number of copies I wanted […]