My heart weeps for her, even though we’ve never met. Twenty-nine, a newlywed, and terminally ill with brain cancer. Who wouldn’t be moved by Brittany Maynard’s story? Last April, Maynard was given no more than six months to live due to stage four glioblastoma, a...
In 1997, Entertainment Weekly called him the funniest man alive. But this week, the funniest man alive was so wrought with despair that he committed suicide. Sixty-three years young, Robin Williams ended his battle with severe depression with finality. He could see...
We’re good friends with someone from my husband’s days in the Army, more years ago than we’d like to remember. This friend is great about keeping all the guys connected, passing along good news (and sad), and organizing reunions. The guys often talk about the good old...
Three of my friends lost their mother this past weekend. Three times in two days, I received a message saying John or Pat or Sonia’s mother died. These three losses remind me that death cuts through all the things we think are important, and bares what is truly...
You’d think I’d learn by now. I mean, how many times do I have to experience the same lesson before I get it? Five years ago, I heard what no woman wants to hear from her doctor. “The radiologist reviewed your mammogram and has recommended additional pictures.” As I...
Who doesn’t want to be happy? The right to pursue happiness is even written in the United States’ Declaration of Independence. Then there’s the popular post floating around the internet. Perhaps you’ve read it… “Someone once said, "There comes a time in your life,...
A friend recently had successful cancer surgery. When she joyfully announced the results, the responses were positive and predictable: God is good! God truly answers prayer! God really loves you! God is an awesome God! We rejoiced in her prognosis because we...
Enough. Have you ever said that to God? Enough suffering, Lord. I’ve had more than my fair share of trouble. When is it going to stop? Remember the trials and tribulations of Job? His near-perfect life was disrupted by trouble. Lots and lots of trouble. He lost his...
Anniversary Reaction I may forget where I placed my eyeglasses (and yes, it’s possible they’re on my head). I...
Look Up or Give Up? Some of us are ready to give up. Feelings of hopelessness are pervasive as we wonder how...
Pocketing and cookie jarring. To paraphrase a line from The Princess Bride, “I do not think it means what you think it...