Graduation 2020
When I traded my paid career in the restaurant business three years ago, to homeschool our two youngest children, it was the most difficult job by far. After this past Spring, many can relate! They were grateful when I quit sharing my “wisdom” and shared a graduation speech instead. Yesterday, at our son Calvins graduation,…
When the world stopped…
My phone rang. It was my good friend Sarah, who is a Trauma Nurse at St. Louis University Hospital. She was on her way to work, again. Like most in the medical field, she has been working long hours away from her family. In her usual cheery voice, she shared this story with me… …
This virus is really changing my perspective!
This morning I received a text with the title of this blog post. It continued with the truth of many things we take for granted and how much we have to be thankful for. This early morning text left the following words on my heart… We are ALL beginning to understand loss and grief on…
What is YOUR story?
36 years ago – if you would have told me that I would survive a suicide attempt, I would have said, that’s not my story. 26 years ago – if you would have told me I’d be divorcing the man I dated for five years, after one year of marriage, I would say that’s not…
Rainbow Reflection
Last night, on my way to our “Chosen to Shine” fundraiser, I looked up, saw a breathtaking sky and stopped to take a photo. The sun was peeking through the clouds. My phone could not capture the full beauty! Shortly after I arrived, the person that was leading the event walked in and excitedly asked…
Love on purpose
There are nights that sleep leaves me to my thoughts. I lie wide awake with words bursting from my heart. I’m certain these words are meant for someone, so I write. A journey is always better when it is shared. It is truly a love story. Dear friends ~ Love well. Watch the sun rise. …
Eyes wide open
I always joke that our oldest daughter Claire was born requesting scissors to sever the umbilical cord that held her back from independence. She was born without fear. If she made a bad choice, I would explain to her she would sit in “time out” if the behavior continued. The words were barely in the…
Silly socks ~ ugly shoes.
Three months after suddenly losing our son, my daughter and I were set to serve on a mission trip. I did NOT want to go. I was certain I had nothing to give. Only after arriving at the church in Honduras with our medical team did I realize WHY I was there. Have you ever done…
Pain is the fuel of passion.
Recently I heard a young person say that they were NOT following their passion in college as it just wasn’t practical. So the student had decided to MINOR in the subject of their PASSION. Is “minoring passion” an oxymoron? In July of 2013 our son tweeted, “Walk outside, look up, be happy.” Those six…
Wear your smile!
The magnitude of God’s love in the months following our son’s death changed my life. The night we received the phone call regarding his accident, we were working a trivia night fundraiser at our church. Our 16 year old daughter had requested we serve on a mission trip so that she could explore medical fields.…
He’s still here…
It was one of the darkest nights since he left. Rain had been falling all day. The need to escape the confines of my home were desperately calling to me. The deep pain was relentlessly throbbing in my heart. Earlier in the day I found myself looking for our son, calling out his name as…
60 miles for Jen…
“Hope your knee is ok. You are an amazing woman and friend.” This was the message I received from my friend Jen Ashauer seven years ago today. We had just completed a 60 mile walk raising funds for cancer research. Jen was a mover and a shaker. In January of 2011 she had phoned several…