Hope

Week of Good-byes

This week, my mom and I have said good-bye to several young adults – both in her exercise class and in her physical therapy. They are college students who have been interns in both places. Although we have only known them for a short time, we have been so impressed with their capabilities and aspirations. […]

Blessings Shared

A few weeks ago, I learned that a friend’s mother was diagnosed with cancer again. Unfortunately, the illness took over. My friend was able to bring her mom to her home and she is receiving hospice care. My friend has been writing daily about the small blessings the family is experiencing during this difficult time. […]

Eye of the Storm

I was listening to music today and the song, “Eye of the Storm”, came on by Ryan Stevenson. It is about relying on and trusting in God when circumstances are beyond your control. I had heard the song several times and noticed that in one verse, the words can change. One time I heard, “. […]

Faith of a Grieving Widow

Not too long ago, there was a tragic shooting resulting in the death of a local police officer. Since then, there has been an outpouring of support for the family – even 2 men in prison sent them some money. The wife has remained out of the spotlight until the other day. She read a […]

Courageous Hope

A woman I know had a very rough time of it during Christmas. She had appendicitis, then her husband suddenly got very ill. He was in the hospital for weeks with a form of sepsis and they ended up having to amputate several of his toes. He then spent more time in rehab and finally […]

Now Is The Time

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday so my parents and I went to church in the afternoon. The deacon gave a short, but powerful reflection. He started by reminding us that we are in a spiritual battle. Every day we see evidence of a struggling world. We face our own challenges and decisions as well. We need […]

Olympic Peace

My sister and I watched the Olympic opening ceremony together tonight. We noticed much of the symbolism for peace that we know is international. That was the overarching theme, and for good reasons. We talked about how only a couple of months ago, the media covered a man escaping North Korea and making it over […]

Looking for the Light

A friend has been on my mind recently. This morning I thought of her again as I was praying and took action right away by texting her to see how she was doing. After a while, I received a text back. Then another. Then another. She was really struggling. I stopped, said a prayer, and […]

Inky’s Story

I saw a story today about Inky Johnson. I didn’t know anything about him, but I watched an incredibly inspirational video in which he tells his story. He played football in college and was on track to be an NFL player. He only had a few games left and his life would be changed forever. […]

Respectful Grocer

Today as I was having my food rung up at the grocery store, I was watching an elderly gentleman in the adjacent lane. He had a Veteran’s ball cap on. The two young men who were helping him were chatting with him and very patient as he dug for his change. When he was finished, […]