If I could sum up 2016 with one word it would be loss. Yes, we have had some wonderful blessings this year, but the blessings have been far outweighed by huge losses. And, as the holidays approach, the losses are weighing even heavier upon our hearts. I’ve spent the last eight months doing everything I…
Let’s face it: sometimes life just sucks. I’m not one to use any type of profanity, but I’m not sure there’s any other way to describe 2016. It’s been an unbelievably difficult year, filled with life-changing realities that have permanently altered our lives. And here we are, with the holidays upon us, trying to figure…
The sound of the phone startled me awake. “Hello,” I managed, struggling to wake from a deep sleep. “Something’s wrong with Cassie,” came the frightened voice on the other end of the phone. I bolted from my bed and rushed to her room. There sat Cassie’s friend who was spending the night, terrified. And there…
The election is over. The ballots are in and we have a new President-elect. And what a surprise it was. On election day, I was waiting for results to begin pouring in. I was filled with a mixture of excitement and fear, enthusiasm and dread. The election season was nothing like what I had hoped…
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America… The presidential election is less than one week away, and I feel as if we should change the name of our country to the Divided States of America. It’s a very sad statement, but one I see more each day. Race pitted against…
Oklahoma is known for tornadoes. But, did you know that Oklahoma now leads the nation in the number of earthquakes? Most of the earthquakes we have are small. I’ve missed most of them simply because they have been undetectable to the normal person. Several weeks ago, however, we had one that was impossible to miss!…
Grief. Grief accompanies all kinds of losses. Some grief is short-lived. Other times, it lasts a lifetime. Sometimes it’s overwhelming. Other times, it seems to be fading. Maybe it’s grief from divorce. Or sickness. Or death. Or, maybe like us, you are overwhelmed by grief from all of these losses. Last week was the six…
Life is funny sometimes. I’ve been waiting for years for God to give me permission to enter the dating scene, and—at what seems the most inopportune and unlikely time of my life—I have found myself tip-toeing into a relationship. As I enter this new season of life, I am asking many questions: What am I…
In Oklahoma, few things are more certain than the uncertainty of the weather. Thunderstorms are simply a way of life for us. Many of us love the sound of the thunder and the flash of lightning. There’s no better sleeping weather than right in the heart of storm season. We are even growing accustomed to…
Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. Joshua 6:1 The Israelites had spent 40 years wandering in the desert. Now, it was time to possess the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. God had…
O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 I received a message from a friend recently. “What do you do when the bad stuff just keeps coming? Not…
2016. It is definitely a year I won’t forget. Death. Illness. Surgery. Financial struggles. New relationship. And kittens. Yes, kittens. Several months ago, I told you about our cat, Tigresse. She was one of a kind. She was our gopher hunting, mouse killing, door opening four-year-old cat. But, I use the term “was.” Back in…