Transforming Grief into Compassionate Action

Following is an article I wrote for a Church of the Brethren publication several years ago. The content is still relevant and timely, so I wanted to share with my readers here.  When our infant daughter died in 2007, the world as my husband and I knew it forever changed. We were never again privy …

Borrowed Bread; how a cancer diagnosis had me grasping for future grace

I’ve always been prone to fretting about the “what ifs,” but with conscious effort and prayer over the years I’ve become more experienced at resting in God’s perfect provision. A recent message I shared at my church came back to “preach” to me again and again as I awaited unexpected biopsy results taken the day …

Thirteen years, and I still have to defend missing you

*A different tone than my usual posts. I always try to write with humility. Today I’m just struggling to breathe while I miss my sweet Sadie Rose and I’m weary of having to defend/explain why. As ALWAYS, love to my grieving families with ANY age/reason/type of loss. And with special sympathy to a local family …

Two Funerals; from Horse and Buggy to Mardi Gras

My aunt’s body arrives at the churchyard in a two-horse-drawn hearse. Mourners gather outside the white clapboard church, men on the right side, women on the left. Hushed greetings and stoic expressions of sympathy float between them, followed by a holy kiss. Reverence stills the crowd as the hearse halts. The well-trained horses stand at …

The Scent of Grief

Liquid gold, drinking in the aroma Of Gain laundry detergent, regular scent Inhaling deeply the month of June, Sterile hospitals, funeral homes, And her, still covered with the fluid of my womb Whispers of family and friends on soft summer breezes, Gathered fully for the first time in years, To mourn our lost love Eyes …