July 5, 2023
Every week, babies change. They grow. They develop. It’s exciting. Parents, grandparents, everyone marvels the first time the baby does anything. Smiles. Rolls over. Laughs. Recognizes their hand. Crawls. Stands. Each new word is reason to cheer. Each accomplishment, no matter how tiny, is met with enthusiasm. Videos are made and shared. Every week, if […]
Read More →February 15, 2023
RIP Barnabas (Barney) Hutchison, The Encourager I think my cat died two days ago. Let me start over: I know my cat died two days ago. The reason I said “I think” isn’t because I’m stuck in the stage of grief called denial, but because it happened in such a romantic, perfectly scripted movie-ending sort […]
Read More →January 13, 2023
When caregiving consumed my days, I wrote about it frequently, and I wrote about my Dad’s dementia that required caregiving. Many people said that helped them. Things have eased up quite a bit for me now that I’m only responsible for one parent, but it’s still a difficult season. Small losses keep coming. Some […]
Read More →February 22, 2022
All that remains of my father’s life is found in two cardboard boxes. Is that all his life is reduced to: two small boxes, one new, one weathered over time? Yesterday, I went to the funeral home to pick up his death certificate (cause: multiple system failure, dementia) and the second of the two boxes. […]
Read More →March 11, 2021
One year ago today, I left work to go to the funeral of a friend’s mom, thinking my spring break had been doubled to two weeks because of the coronavirus. When I went through the receiving line at the church, I wasn’t sure if I should reach out to hug my friend or stand awkwardly […]
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