If you've ever seen the movie Yes Man, with Jim Carrey, then you might relate to this bizarre phase of grief and healing I have been going through. In the movie, the main character has suffered the loss of his marriage and has a negative outlook on himself and life in general. He attends … Continue reading Defining Moments
The day before we left on our mission trip as a family, I wondered what on earth possessed me to consider taking four of us on a mission trip at the same time. We were working, playing sports, and wrapping up the school year, along with getting ready for our exchange student, starting our nonprofit … Continue reading Deer Hope
In the soft light of the small massage room the angelic hum of the tuning forks rang in my ears. My gentle friend whispered kind and humble prayers over my heart, hovering over the suspicious lump that I had earlier confessed my stress of finding and had been confirmed on a recent mammogram. Just 16 … Continue reading Praying Hands
Isolation, the result, and the enemy of most of us, is also sort of a commodity. To not have to answer questions about how you are feeling, what you plan on doing or what you did over the weekend. The truth is that my feelings changes from day to day, hour to hour and minute … Continue reading Come Closer and Stay Away
Staring at the rhododendron in my memorial garden I realized it was going through stress. My neighbor, concerned a limb would hit his roof, had cut some of the limbs from the large oak back to the main branch. The tree was not harmed, but the purple bush below it now was exposed … Continue reading If We Loved People Like We Loved Trees
A new normal, A phrase to describe life after a serious trauma. I've heard it so much in the grief community I can't believe I am using it as my title. Its a phrase for someone to use when they really don't know what to say to someone that has had a life event shatter … Continue reading A New Normal
The conversations around my house for weeks were centered around Prom. You can blame Disney, social media, or our culture, but being a pretty princess is somewhere in our DNA or at least part of our little girl daydreams. The talk was on dresses and shoes, clutches and nails, dinner and transportation, make-up and hair. … Continue reading Defining Grounded
My day started out as a cleanup day. I meant to clean up the kitchen, run over and help a friend and neighbor for an hour or two to pack and move. As I started cleaning up, every bag or drawer, or table seemed to contain some sort of change. I started thinking about … Continue reading Be the Change
I sometimes struggle with the idea of being broken. First of all, we are all broken in different ways. I used to say, "no one gets out of this world alive." What I meant by that was that everyone has their "stuff." Years ago, I used to think I was the only one that … Continue reading Broken Pieces
When you watch your child’s heart get broken into a million tiny pieces it makes you wish you could do anything for them to take that pain away. Maybe middle children just learn to be more empathetic, I’m not sure, but my middle daughter has always loved with all her heart. I’ve watched her forgive … Continue reading Watching Heartbreak
Raven and Roses 