Tag: hope

Seven Trees

Summer… to a child it means play all day, catch fireflies at night, bathe, sleep, repeat.  I remember one perfect summer morning at my grandmother’s, I was about ten years old.  The sky was a beautiful blue with a few puffy clouds here and there. The sun grew brighter, warming the air, calling us to come out to play.  My grandmother’s house was brimming with excitement as the little plastic pool was filling with water while my brothers and I gathered our toys and towels.

As the morning turned to noon the gentle breeze grew restless and the clouds thickened, hiding the sun more often than not.  Soon leaves were blowing, random objects rattling, and our towels and toys were tossed around by the wind.  A storm was coming, it was time to go inside. Continue reading “Seven Trees” →

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After Winter Always Comes Spring

Some winters seem to never end.  I remember one year in particular.  It was the year of the ice storms.  In addition to the ice we also had a blizzard in March with a lingering cold and dreary spring.  In Pennsylvania it is usually safe to start planting flowers after Mother’s Day, not this year.  It was still too cold.  When would it end?  When would we feel the warmth of the sun on our faces again?

You may be facing something right now that feels like winter will never end, as though an inescapable cloud has settled on your life making it difficult to see through to the sunshine.  The pain can seem too great to bear, the heartache too intense to breathe, the consequences too severe to face, or the diagnosis too grim to cope. Maybe this cloud is hovering over your home, affecting a meaningful relationship, or causing unexplainable fear?  Whatever it is, I know it can feel as though the sun has gone away, never to return.  In seasons like these it can be easy to lose hope.

To hope is to wait with confidence and expectation, trusting deliverance will come. 

But how can we find hope in a seemingly never ending winter? Continue reading “After Winter Always Comes Spring” →

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Am I Significant?

Significance, Google defines significance as “The quality of being worthy of attention; importance.”  Oxford dictionary adds “The meaning to be found in words or events.”

We are created with an innate desire to be significant.  Many of us are able to find our significance in our work, title, achievements.  Praise and rewards are like wind in our sails, motivating us to keep going, to maintain or increase our level of importance.  It feels good to be identified as successful.  But what happens when the company has to downsize and your job is on the list, when you discover you are replaceable, or an accident or illness takes you out of the arena of importance, disabling you to perform, and puts you alone on the couch to recover?  Do you become insignificant? Continue reading “Am I Significant?” →

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Genuine Beauty

Years ago it was craft time at a women’s retreat with the wonderful women from Central, worship@central.org.  I love opportunities to create. Our project: Paint and decorate a wooden scarecrow.  As silly as it sounds, I took my time painting his eyes, nose and smile, choosing fabric and buttons, finding just the right hat, placing the straw exactly where it should go.  To me, a mom of young children, this was therapy!  He was perfect, just as I planned.  I was proud of what I created.  We displayed our masterpieces in the back of the room.  They were all so adorable!  Each scarecrow had its own unique style and, in a way, personality.  Every year this little 12 inch scarecrow is a part of my fall décor.  He reminds me of a priceless lesson I learned that I want my daughters, and all the women in my life, including you, to know as well.

As a teenager I often focused on my imperfections, comparing myself to other girls, flipping through the pages of teen magazines seeing what I wish I could be.  I was never quite content with how God made me.  However, shortly after my stay in the hospital I was put on a high dose of steroids which made my face swell and caused me to gain weight.  At the same time, I started monthly chemotherapy which resulted in my hair falling out. Continue reading “Genuine Beauty” →

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Pure Gold

Do you ever feel like God is against you?  Maybe it seems when he doesn’t answer he doesn’t care?  There have been many times I have asked for answers, relief, solutions and they didn’t come, at least not when I wanted them to come.

I was a first semester freshman at Philadelphia Bible College, now Cairn University, when the Lupus began to flare.  Pain so great it was hard to lift items as light as clothing. It hurt too much to be bumped, hugged or even touched. Walking, sitting, standing, lying, all caused such tremendous pain. Continue reading “Pure Gold” →

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My Hope Unveiled

Dear Readers,

Today I choose to put excuses and fear of failure aside to share with you the hope I have found so you can experience it too.

My story is complex, layered with chapters of life experiences that could have led me to despair and hopelessness.  They are too many to share in one day so I will begin with one moment that changed the course of my life…

The moment took place in my junior year of high school.  I loved to sing and had big dreams of fame.  Babysitting, hanging with friends, participating in youth ministry were some of my favorite activities.  However, for months I had been tired and achy for no particular reason.  The pain and fatigue continued through the fall.  Finding no explainable cause, the doctor finally decided to order several tests.  Within a few days the results were in.

Continue reading “My Hope Unveiled” →

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