faith, grief, Uncategorized

The “God Is Good” Dilemma

  God is good.   Chris Tomlin says it: “You’re a good, good father...:”   My childhood church camp said it: “God is soooo good, God is soooo good, God is soooo good, he’s so gooood….toooo….me….” (four-part harmony)   The Bible says it:   “For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and… Continue reading The “God Is Good” Dilemma

faith, Infant loss, love in loss

Poor in Spirit

A long time ago, a guy who loved Jesus named St. John of the Cross wrote a poem called “The Dark Night of the Soul.” I don’t know much about St. John, and I’m not crazy about the poem, but several months ago, my counselor sent me an email article with this quote:   “The… Continue reading Poor in Spirit

Infant loss, Trauma

I Am Job’s Wife

November 2, 2017 I wrote these words almost three months ago, not sure if I would ever share them. Honestly, I was self-conscious, afraid of what others would think. Younger Christians who I've mentored. Older Christians who've mentored me. NonChristians. Family. Peers.  Would they judge me for all these doubts and questions? Would they see… Continue reading I Am Job’s Wife

adoption, grief, Infant loss

My Son Can Hear You

“How old is he?” “Four.” “He’s SO TINY!” My son looks up at me, those big brown eyes questioning. My face grows hot, but I smile and continue checking him in for children’s church. I don’t say anything. She did not mean to offend. I know this. She does not know the conversations and struggles… Continue reading My Son Can Hear You

adoption, faith, grief, Infant loss

My Sons

Which part of your child’s face is your favorite to study? You know what I mean. When he’s still (for two seconds), when she’s sleeping, when laughter alights their faces? I love Valerie’s freckles, sprinkled across her nose like stardust. I adore Sylvia’s sweet little cheeks; there’s something of the baby I carried still there.… Continue reading My Sons

adoption, faith, grief, Uncategorized

A Goodbye Letter to my Thirties

Dear Thirties, As of today, you are a past-tense timeframe. This is my farewell to you, still-young-but-not-too-young decade of life. I think it’s interesting how we boil people down into their decade. A flippant, “He’s in his early twenties,” may explain away juvenile behavior, while an awestruck, “She’s in her nineties,” produces wonder and respect.… Continue reading A Goodbye Letter to my Thirties

Uncategorized

Of Plans and Pandemics

I sit here admiring the frosted trees, the still beauty whispering something majestic and true. A September snow blew through to hopefully temper wildfires and delight Coloradans with the dramatic weather shift. It’s funny how we live our lives with an awareness that things rarely go as planned, and yet we’re still surprised when an… Continue reading Of Plans and Pandemics

adoption, foster care, grief, Infant loss, love in loss

Love From a Distance

I recently threw a baby shower. A unicorn baby shower. An imaginary unicorn baby shower. The lucky unicorn had quadruplets, wouldn’t you know? Streamers hung from the ceiling of my normally tidy formal living room. Purple balloons rested on every sofa cushion. Homemade signs with sweetly misspelled words adorned my dining room walls.   Parenting… Continue reading Love From a Distance

faith, grief, Infant loss, love in loss

Sentenced to Life

Today is the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox, a day when there is exactly as much light to the day as there is dark. On the Vernal Equinox of 2017, I went in for the 20-week anatomy ultrasound of my growing baby boy, Elliot. We’d endured four months of uncertainty in my awful pregnancy, and finally… Continue reading Sentenced to Life

faith, grief, Juarez, love in loss

The Way Things Grow

We just returned from a brief trip to Juárez, México to visit our dear friends, Maria and Gilbert, who run an elementary school and junior high school. Besides just caring about seeing our friends, Dustin and I also wanted to visit since we are on the school board and are deeply invested in what happens… Continue reading The Way Things Grow

adoption, grief, Infant loss, pregnancy

The Womb of the World

Last night we had the pleasure of hosting our small group from church. One of my friends in the group is pregnant with her second sweet baby, and someone asked her how far along she is. “30 weeks,” she replied.   My mind began reeling a bit. 30 weeks. I delivered Elliot when I was… Continue reading The Womb of the World