Mary curled her baby sister into her chest as she turned her into the well wall, sheltering them from the stones being hurled at them from outside. She had just watched her parents brutally killed with machetes. “I will never forget the fear I felt as one of my captors slid down a rope into the well with us. It was then that reality was…
As a child, one of my favorite Christmas traditions was to ride around and look at all the Christmas lights in our community. The windows were filled with brightly lit trees, store windows proclaimed the Christmas season, and church lawns donned nativity scenes, some of which were live. While I loved taking in the sights of Christmas, what made it really special was the time…
Each year I hear people bemoaning Valentine’s Day (aka Single Awareness Day). Some feel jipped because they don’t have anyone special with whom to celebrate. Others are grieving the loss of their Valentine to either death or to break up. The sad truth is that for millions of people, Valentine’s Day is a day of great sadness and disappointment. My question is “Why?” How did…
One word. This was the challenge. This morning I asked my Facebook friends to describe 2016 in one word. Many were heartwarming and made me smile; others hurt my heart. How would I describe 2016 — complete. In 2016 I completed my dissertation; I completed the PhD program and graduated. I completed the national mental health counseling examination and achieved several longstanding goals. Jorjanne finished…
The holidays bring families together; this can be a joyous time of celebration OR it can be a time of intense conflict and stress. Over the years, I’ve experienced both the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child, and the horror of unfiltered, angry words instigating heart-wrenching pain. If Christmas brings joy and peace in your home, give glory to God and thank…
It seems like much of my stress comes having too much to do or huge projects hanging over my head. We all know the answer to the infamous question, “How do you eat an elephant?” Knowing that taking bite sized pieces eats away at the elephant does not make the task any less daunting. I’ve learned that I do better when I break large tasks…