Today marks a full year since my father died. And while that sentence still feels odd, I'm adjusting to this new reality, which also feels odd. The waves of sadness still crash against my heart at unexpected times, the questions from my children (and myself) still flow regularly, and I still occasionally pick up my... Continue Reading →
Grieving at Christmas: Weary Rejoicing
Christmas Eve 2012 found me crying quietly by candlelight as I held my baby daughter. My husband and I had just moved to Philadelphia with our 3 young children. We were in our early 30's and we felt disoriented. Lost. Weary. Our drive to church, like every other week's drive, was littered with homeless and... Continue Reading →
Remembering Stephen
Two years ago I was walking through the front door of my Philadelphia home, my 2-day old son in my arms. We had just brought him home from the hospital. I sat on the couch with my 4 other children, all grinning and giggling and admiring this precious little boy. My fourth son. The... Continue Reading →
July Reflections: Missing My Dad and Remembering Our Last Visit
Though my dad died 5 months ago, it's been exactly one year since we saw him on earth. We had spent July 4th vacationing all together on the beautiful Newfound Lake in New Hampshire. We swam and played and ate for days. And for the first time in my entire life, dad did not have... Continue Reading →
Father’s Day: How my dad’s departure from earth has me thinking about how to spend my days on it.
Today marked my first Father's Day without my dad. I admit that most of my sentiment today has been just get to bedtime so the day can be over. But tomorrow marks my dad's 68th birthday and the first one he's celebrating in Heaven, and also a trip to the dentist with all.five.kids. So there's... Continue Reading →
My Kids Are In Summer Camp and I’m Learning To Let Go & Enjoy the Ride
This week we entered yet another first as a family: Summer Camps. Never in the past have I had the emotional, physical or financial capacity to enroll the kids in camps. And though I felt tinges of "I should be giving my kids this opportunity....all the other kids are doing it..blah blah blah," I have... Continue Reading →