“What would God want with a twenty-four-year old? A young man that has—had—his whole life in front of him?” A man sitting next to me at a committee meeting posed the question to the woman in front of me. The boy he referred to recently died in an accident that involved a recreational vehicle. Preliminary police reports purport that alcohol … Read More
Hear My Fear
Two months ago, I gave a speech on the physical facet of loss and healing. “Yelling,” I said, “is an outlet to vent frustration, anger, and hurt. That rage reaction to those emotions, however, often signals an inner fear of something.” After I finished speaking, a man in the small audience said, “I’ve learned something new today. I didn’t know … Read More
Re-Sweetening Sixteen
Sixteenth birthdays are important milestones in our lives. As teenagers, we spend months, if not years, dreaming (often obsessing) about the day we are officially allowed to drive. Freedom!! In my area, girls are having sweet sixteen parties that tend to be lavish events where parents rent halls and hire caterers. I don’t recall such parties during my high school … Read More
At the Helm of a Shooting Star
My oldest son turned twenty yesterday. My, oh, my; that doesn’t seem possible. Twenty years ago we experienced his joyous birth; twenty years since the painful separation brought about in his death. Twenty years… And now I celebrate his life once again. We went to the cemetery on Mother’s Day, dug out the few weeds that had surfaced since Easter, removed the Easter … Read More
Striking… something…
I’ve been trying to write this post for the past week… Last week (which is now two weeks ago!) was a week that kept giving, and giving, and giving… right on into this past week… My oldest son’s break-up with his girlfriend took its toll on all of us. Those of you who are parents of teens know all too … Read More
Fortitude
I cannot begin to convey how amazed and humbled I am by the vast response to the last post. Clearly I touched something in many as the post counter is rapidly rising. I hope you are enjoying my words, and, possibly, finding some message that benefits you. I have a deep belief that some of the stagnation that occurs in our healing process … Read More
The World is My Church
I rose at 5:45 Easter Sunday, just as I’ve done for the past seven or eight years. I flipped on the hall light, knocked gently on each door and woke my children, one by one. “Good morning, handsome; it’s 5:45.” “Good morning, beautiful, time to rise and shine.” Having risen at the first sound of the alarm, I had time … Read More
A Day of Reckonciling
Two people close to me have nervously asked since reading my first post, “You don’t think he’s having another affair,” (pregnant pause), “do you?” I was afraid that would come up by friends and family, after I’d read what I’d written, and, thus, added the “tenuous as they were…” For those who have attempted and/or succeeded in repairing a marriage … Read More