It’s hard to say exactly when it happened, or perhaps if it’s happened to you, at all, but if it has happened, and you find yourself feeling not blissful about Christmas, then raise your hand and let’s start admitting our weird feelings. That feels better, doesn’t it?   And if you are in the camp that…

It’s that time of year where reminders of the ones we miss lurk around every corner. A song, a scent, an empty seat at the table. I can spot a big red Christmas bow, and I’m transported back to the last time Mom helped me decorate my tree. Not all of us need a reminder…

“He was choking. And he almost died. But he’s okay.” I was on the phone with my dad, barely able to get the words out about what I had witnessed. *** Planning to Press Post Around 2:00 pm that afternoon, I was putting the finishing touches on a blog post while a contractor repaired our back porch….

What do we do when we don’t know what to say? When there is so much dust swirling in our heads that we can’t think straight to see straight to step straight? What do we do when the words won’t come?  You, yes, you, with your host of questions. You, yes you, waiting with bated…

When I saw the first leaf fall, it was still the dog days of Summer, and it reminded me how quickly new seasons sneak up on us.  A week or two passed, and yesterday was already the last 8:00 p.m. sunset, with each new sunset occurring two minutes earlier than the last. And here I am…

A day without Mom is too long. But five years? My breath forms a tight fist in my gut. Five years. Mom has been gone five years. At this point, my grief is a kindergartener. It no longer needs carried around every moment like an infant, though it can’t be ignored. I may not bleed every…

Christmas Day is approaching! My mere writing that statement causes some of us to sit up a little straighter with breathlessness. How is a season meant to worship the One who won us eternal rest strangely marked by restlessness? It can be perplexing, I agree. But where distractions abound, so does mercy. Every lie December…

When my grandad died at the rich age of 93, I didn’t appreciate how much I’d think about his life. It’s unsurprising that I miss him; he and my grandma pursued me from a young age—showing up at my events and reaching out to me. Even in high school, I would stay weekends with them….

It felt like a more normal Christmas when the calendar turned to December. And all the traditions and holiday happenings were gradually rocking me into a cozy holiday slumber. I wondered if four Christmases without Mom might make the sorrow less jarring, and I welcomed what time can do to pain. But when our puppy…