The loud, grating noise outside drew my focus from the task at hand. Someone was trimming the trees behind the brick wall at the edge of our property. The job took only a few minutes, and then all was quiet again. But things were not the same. I stared in shock and disappointment at the […]
Can I Handle This?
From time to time, we all experience anxiety marked by doubt, fear, or nervousness about something that may or may not happen in the future. This natural reaction is common when entering a different season in life (e.g., college, marriage, parenthood, etc.), starting a new job, and waiting for the results of medical tests. Usually, […]
When the Pain Goes Away
“When will the pain go away?” The orthopedic surgeon had probably heard my question from each of his patients. He spoke confidently from experience. “One year.” February 19, 2016, marked one year from the day I fell at home and broke my right wrist. I felt excruciating pain those first few days and the week […]
Living with an Autoimmune Condition
Have you ever heard of someone struggling with an illness? Personally, I consider myself living with an autoimmune condition, rather than struggling with it. I, along with 23.5 million other Americans, face the following common challenges of living with an autoimmune condition: Like many chronic illnesses, an autoimmune condition continues or occurs again and again […]
How Silence Comforts
The title of my friend’s book intrigued me: His Comfort of Silence. After all, I had journeyed from a place of silence to one where I use my recovered voice for professional writing and speaking. I wondered how silence could comfort and was delighted that Eriko Nancy Valk, Ph.D., had asked me to edit her manuscript. […]
Brokenness Isn’t All Bad
“Oh no…the wedding!” The words came out as quickly as I had I fallen on the tile floor in my home. What good could come from a bride breaking her wrist ten days before her wedding? Many assured me that everything would be okay—and they were right. I walked down the aisle just seven days […]
Understanding the Purpose of Our Pain
Sometimes God reveals the purpose of our pain in what seems to us like expected places. However, those places are not surprises to God. He in fact directs us to certain locations at specific times because He knows where we have been. Although I recently planned a routine visit to Whole Foods, God had something […]
Helping Hospitalized Patients and Their Families
Until last month, I had never stayed overnight in a hospital. I had spent plenty of time in hospitals both as an outpatient and as an employee. Staying with a loved one who was recently admitted to a hospital more than 25 miles from their home gave me new insight on how to help hospitalized […]
Tending to Our Spirit During Sickness
A chronic, life-threatening, or major illness affects our soul and spirit as well as our physical body. We may experience a myriad of emotions, struggle to make the right decisions, and think more about what the future holds. Tending to the health of each part of us will contribute to the quality of our life and […]
Seeing God and Others for Who They Are
We often form opinions based on what we hear. Unfortunately, what we hear is not always true. Our opinions or judgments, whether right or wrong, still influence our behavior—but all of that can change. I shied away from police officers in my early years, because I had heard people talk about bad cops. I also […]
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