I listened to Google tell me the weather for tomorrow. Low of 27, high of 42. Ugh. This lifelong West Texas desert girl is so tired of cold weather. For 7 days, beginning on February 11th, Texas experienced a week-long winter storm unlike any of my generation have ever experienced. It was freezing cold. And…
An Autism Baptism – Evidence of a Limitless God
In all the areas of Gideon’s autism that we navigate, through all our failures and victories, and despite all the ways that we as humans don’t understand each other, God still got through to Gideon. Let my son be a reminder to us all that God is not limited by a social communication disorder, just like he is not limited by a cognitive disability or a mental health condition.
Pathways and rivers – Trusting God through the wilderness of a new diagnosis
September 2016. I answered a phone call from my son’s specialist while walking into work. I heard the words, “chromosomal syndrome” and “22q11.2 deletion,” and it felt like my world literally shook. I literally had to sit down in an empty waiting room of the hospital where I worked at the time. Over the next…
There’s always a BUT”
(I know, that title. Hear me out. I kinda liked the title, anyway.) 2 Corinthians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I love Paul’s writings, first of all. He is always so persuasive, so direct, so genuine. Strong in his faith, loving toward others, but never subservient or weak. But 2 Corinthians…
Say yes
Recently, I had knee surgery to reconstruct my ACL, a ligament in my knee. This is the second time I’ve had to have this surgery. I prayed I was wrong, but that tell-tale sickening pop in my knee told me otherwise. My knee would need some major help. Again. But once surgery became the official…
How Jesus dealt with anxiety (and how we can follow him in this, too)
“Jesus understands everything you’re going through.” “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15 Anyone ever read that and think, “Yeaaahh, but not ____” or “But my situation did not happen back then”…
The Cure for Mindless Busyness
My wiggly 6-year-old lopes into the room. He can’t even walk without being wiggly, somehow. He told me he’d brushed his teeth, like I’d asked. I thanked him. He nodded in response, turned around and shoved at a stack of books on our end table, knocking two of them on the floor. He watched them…
To my daughter, on the last day of maternity leave
Dear youngest, Its been beautiful with you. I wish I’d had the sense and experience to enjoy my previous maternity leaves as much as I have this one. You are unique, fourth child of mine. With you, I recognized the beauty of this time, to experience it beyond pure survival. I am stronger, I am…
Little funerals
I heard on a podcast a few months ago from Emily Freeman about the importance of allowing yourself periods of mourning, even for things that we don’t traditionally think of as needing to mourn. She wasn’t talking about the awful circumstances that require legit grieving, like the death of a close friend or a failed…
Only Today
I have only today. I am given only today. I am not guaranteed tomorrow, or even the remainder of this today. Today is important. Today is beautiful. Today is precious. Today is not to be wasted. Does that scare anyone else? Does me. I gets my people-pleasing (i.e., legalism) tendencies all up in a tizzy.…