Daily 511

This year has been a rollercoaster.  In my 52 years of life, I've never experienced so many highs and lows in such a short span of time.  My mom passed away quickly in October, my daughter told us she was expecting our first grandchild in November, my other daughter got engaged in February, my husband suffered a severe, debilitating stroke in March, my pregnant daughter had pregnancy complications in May and delivered a healthy, beautiful baby girl three weeks early in July- the same week my dad went into the hospital with internal bleeding of unknown origin.  Whew!  I get overwhelmed just reading through that again! During times like this I have to fight daily (sometimes hourly) for inner peace.  As someone prone to anxiety and panic attacks, I have found that no amount of deep breathing or meditation brings me the deep, abiding peace I seek (although they are useful tools) like drawing near to Jesus through prayer, scripture reading and listening to bea...

You've probably seen #blessed on t-shirts and mugs, instagram, facebook and twitter.  It's almost always in connection with a vacation photo, beautiful family photo or some victory over illness or work.  All of those are, of course, blessings.  God desires to give us every good gift.  I find it interesting, however, what Jesus says about who He considers to be blessed. If Jesus considers the people referenced in the Beatitudes as blessed, why don't we see posts with the #blessed when people post about losing a loved one (Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted) or those who are persecuted because of their faith,  or those who are poor in spirit because of a difficult trial? (Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven) I had to really think about #blessed this week as my family faced another Job moment.  Since my husband's stroke two months ago, one of the bright lights in our family has been my daughter's p...

In my dream world I live in an enormous rustic home nestled into cozy mountainside overlooking a pristine lake.  I never have to worry about a mortgage or broken down cars (or broken down bodies!) And because I don't like to do things half way, I also weigh 70 pounds less, have a successful writing career and perfect blood pressure. We all need dreams.  Dreams propel us forward, energize us to work hard towards a goal and can make the world a better place.  I believe many of our dreams are God given and God directed.  However, if you're like me, many of your dreams are self-centered, idealistic and materialistic.  We see something we like on Facebook or Instagram or TV (often an entire lifestyle- I'm looking at you, Joanna Gaines) and we want the same thing for our lives. What happens, then, when real life doesn't live up to your dream for your life?  When illness, death, broken relationships, lost jobs, business failures intrude on your plans? ...

Photo by  Zoltan Tasi  on  Unsplash God never promises an easy life, a perfect life, a life free from struggle.  In fact, he promises us the very opposite- a life with trouble. John 16:33   New International Version (NIV) 33  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome  the world.”  His promise is that He and therefore us in Him  shall OVERCOME and be VICTORIOUS.  But what does overcoming look like?  It's not a life free from illness, grief and loss. If life is perfect, there is nothing to overcome.  The dictionary has some insight into what overcome means: succeed in dealing with (a problem or difficulty). "she worked hard to overcome her paralyzing shyness" synonyms: get the better of, prevail over,  control , get control of, get/bring under control,  bridle ,  tame ,...

Friday morning, March 15th 2019, I was laying in bed, determined not to get out of my warm cocoon until the last possible moment, when my son burst in the room, "An FMC nurse wants to talk to you."  It took a few seconds to register, but then the alarm went off in my head.  The voice on the other end of my phone sounded worried, "We have Jay in emergency.  It appears he is having a stroke.  We have given him clot busting medication and are having him life flighted to OSU.  If you leave now, you may be able to see him before they take off." I don't remember getting dressed but I ended up in the ER just moments before they whisked him off to the helicopter waiting for him on the roof of the hospital.   Thankfully, my son was home from college on Spring Break and could drive me the 45 minutes to the hospital.  I was greeted at OSU by a neuro surgeon.  "Jay has a clot in his brain.  He will have the best outcome if we go in and remove ...

Grief can be beautiful. The world tells us that grief is sadness, pain, something to get through and get over. And grief IS sadness and pain but it can also be so much more.  I've lost a lot of loves in my life. I lost my first husband, Ken, 20 years ago and my mom just a few weeks ago. When you love someone deeply and your lives have been lived together, intertwined, their loss feels like part of you comes unraveled. You realize day by day, it's not just one loss, it's a  thousand little losses. Grief IS exhausting, painful and just plain hard work. We don't get to choose when we suffer a loss, but we can choose HOW we grieve.  The Bible tells us we can grieve as those with no hope- a path that leads to despair and brokenness- or we can grieve as those with hope- a path that leads to spiritual growth, hope, peace and even joy- that death does not have the final word. I choose to grieve with HOPE. HOPE that this life isn't all there is. HOPE that the love I ...