When the Next Chapter Is Darkness
Madeleine L’Engle, the celebrated author of A Wrinkle in Time (winner of the 1963 Newbery Award for Children’s Literature) knew the darkness of loss, particularly in relationships, ... Nature doesn’t always wait for us to hand over our toys. Sometimes, she takes them away without our permission. When I was 16, I memorized a poem that struck me even then with its poignant truth about the cycle of life. In his poem “Nature,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ... Courage whispered the autumn leaf He, born of spring’s budding hope A while ago, my mentor challenged me to think about what might happen after I die—more specifically, what heaven might look like. Although middle-aged, I never pondered this mystery before. When I was young, I saw myself as indestructible, protected by the solid shell ... I woke to the song of mourning doves. Their soundtrack seems a part of the landscape here in the Texas Hill Country, along with the buzz of locusts on hot summer afternoons and the chirp of tree frogs in the scrub that separates our home from a fairway often inhabited ... The red light on our answering machine blinked. We had just returned home from an evening children’s Christmas program, joyful in the spirit of the holiday. But my mood suddenly changed when I pressed the button on the machine and heard my mother’s voice, “We ... I looked down at her hands, worn by so many years of labor. They seemed mostly of bone now, the fat and muscle mostly gone and the skin like a rag, twisted and stretched until it can never return to its original form. And, yet, they were beautiful to me. I spent much ... This story is bittersweet because it describes the last meal I shared with my dad. I didn’t know it would be the last time I saw him, and I nearly declined his impromptu invitation. I’m grateful for God’s love and kindness for allowing me to share a final sweet summer’s night with my ... When someone wants to end a relationship, she or he may say, “I just need some space.” But when I told my kids I needed a little space from their father, they understood I wasn’t trying to break up. Jerry was the love of my life, but at 85 his health was failing, ... It was unbelievable that my dad randomly dropped dead. In those first weeks denial was a powerful ally I clung to fiercely. In the dazed aftermath it seemed logical, even reasonable, that I could tackle the proverbial stages of grief in my own timeframe. It also felt ... In early November 2005 my mom began a journey that changed us both. She got into her little car and began to drive to Denver International Airport, 60 miles from her home, a route she had driven thousands of times during her 69 years. But this time she faced a particular ... I stood in the middle of the store and felt a deep sense of satisfaction: that’s the one. That’s her Easter dress.
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A Whispered Prayer
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Courage
Using the Side Door
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The Friendship of Grief
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When Loss Is Your Teacher
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Worn Hands
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My Best Yes
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Space
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The Wrong Side of Grief
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Courage to Stay
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The Sorrow & Silence of Saturday