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The Promise of America the Beautiful
"This July 4th I won't be celebrating my country as it is today - I will celebrate the hope, promise, and potential that it embodies. I'll take a break from mourning the country it is not, but should be: where your zip code doesn't determine your health outcomes, your skin color doesn't determine whether strangers give you the benefit of the doubt..."
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Childhood Reflections on Memorial Day
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Grieving the Life We Live
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines grief in several ways. We are all most familiar when people talk about the grief that follows the death of a loved one; defined here as a “deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement.” But there are elements of grief that many of us suffer through that has nothing to do with losing someone. In another definition grief is defined as a “keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret.” This one to me is a better example of what I think many of us suffer with. There is the obvious pain, sorrow, and suffering that comes from…
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The Bittersweet Grief in Celebrations and Special Occasions
As I sat in the audience watching my oldest nephew being pinned during his promotion ceremony, I couldn’t help but think about how proud my parents; especially my dad, would have been of him. My dad served over 20 years in the US Army; including three tours in two different wars. Growing up on a military base, and later settling just outside of one at his retirement, was the only pre-adult life I knew. I had several family members who became a part of the military service. Both of my brothers entered the Army right out of high school, with one making it a career choice, just as my dad…
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Praise to the God of All Comfort
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
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Can You Find “Good” in Your Grief?
I grieved his death, but in some ways, perhaps, resented it as well.
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The Masks We Wear
I’ve been thinking a lot about the events of the past week; especially in light of the nature of this blog. Grief is for real! And it can come from many different areas and display in people in many different ways. It’s obvious from the nature of the media coverage, that the fashion and entertainment industries, including many journalists, are trying to come to grips with the loss of two prominent people in less than a week. Grief following the death of a loved one is hard. Trying to figure out the why, when someone takes their own life, is even more difficult. There’s been several reoccurring things I’ve heard…
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National Suicide Prevention – Call 1-800-273-8255!
I hesitated posting anything earlier this week in the aftermath of hearing about Kate Spade’s death. It was hard enough to hear about someone my own age, dying, but to learn that it was a suicide was even harder to take. I’m also not a therapist or a mental health counselor, and so I didn’t want to carelessly write something that might upset someone, or trigger a negative response. But this morning, I woke up to the early sounds of text messages coming from family and friends wishing me a Happy Birthday. And just five minutes after I was fully awake, yet still debating whether I really wanted to actually…
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Blessed are those Who Mourn
Six years ago, on June 1, 2012, I was spending the last night of my week-long mission trip to Haiti in the courtyard area of the center where we stayed. It had been a long, productive, tiring, and blessings filled trip. I was both ready to go and wanting to stay at the same time. A lot of good work had been done. We were gathering together one last night to talk about what each team had accomplished that day throughout the village, and to pray, sing, read scripture, and rejoice over our time in the village of Neply before heading back to the States the next day. There was…
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Conversations with a Stranger
I’m back in my hometown for the Memorial Day weekend. It’s been mostly a good trip so far. I’ve kept it low key, not trying to connect with everyone while I’m home. For most of the first of two weeks, I’ve been hanging out at Starbucks in an attempt to get some writing done. So far, it’s been a little disappointing, as I’ve endured several distractions, including some I create myself! But I had an interesting distraction one day last week. I went to the same Starbucks and sat at the same small table two days in a row. The first day, I ended up joining in on some hot…
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O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!
On this day, May 21, 2005, I buried my mother. I was in Israel when she passed away in the hospital following developing a poorly treated bed sore that got infected; the poisons overtaking my mother’s already weak body. It took me three days our time (12 hours ahead) before I could get back to South Carolina. No matter how many years pass, my heart still aches, not just that she died, but also how she died; and maybe even when; the when she died. I still struggle with all of that. It interferes with my ability to move past that part of my grief. I know I’m not alone.…
