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Be Still
A recent photo taken of my one year old granddaughter, Emily, was taken while she waited for her appointment with her chiropractor. Chiropractor? Yes, she has been going to a chiropractor since she was an infant. Reading her expression, I’m unsure of what is happening inside her. It could be fear, anxiety, or concern for her…
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Transitions
When a widower finds a new love interest and the opportunity for her to visit the home arises, the question of what to do about pictures of his late wife and other reflections of her in the home occurs, too. Jasmine had a refined artistic touch that flowed from her Japanese cultural heritage. Her fingerprints…
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Moving Forward: Hope Amid a Crisis
When the doctor said, “She will never regain consciousness,” it felt like a punch in the gut! I never expected to hear those words. That meant life would never be the same. That also meant I would never be the same. I dreaded the thought of how life would change, but I was unaware of how…
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Moving Forward: Cherish the Memories, Life is Short
Teach us to realize the brevity of life so that we may grow in wisdom. Psalm 90:12 NLT Good memories produce feelings of warmth and happiness, but those memories become painful when grieving the loss of a loved one. We long for the relationship to be restored, but it can never be. Sometimes the pain…
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Iam Tongi, Monsters, and Fatherhood
Why am I feeling so emotional? I am watching a video of Iam Tongi’s duet with James Blunt from American Idol, singing Blunt’s song “Monsters.” Watching it live brought me to tears along with everyone else . . . and it is bringing me to tears again. Three months ago, I never knew of English…
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Isolation Kills, Stay Connected
Jasmine was first admitted to the hospital at the height of the COVID pandemic and placed in isolation, which meant no visitors allowed. I had been recovering at home from my bout with COVID. Four days later, I drove an hour to the hospital to be re-examined (I had COVID pneumonia). After my exam, I requested permission…
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Moving Forward: Overcoming Regrets
The first line in the song “Scars in Heaven” by Casting Crowns cuts me to the core. It is, “If I had only known, the last time would be the last time.” Despite being in ICU for three weeks, I fully expected Jasmine to recover. I envisioned when we would once again talk, laugh, hold…
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WSN: Moving Forward
Many of us in the WSN are familiar with Nora McInerny’s Ted Talk on moving forward vs. moving on. Her theme is we do not move on from grief but move forward with it. (If you have not seen it, you can view It on YouTube).This theme framed how I moved forward in this unwelcomed…
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A Fourth Way to Raise Your Hand to God
In my previous post, I discussed three ways to raise your hand to God when going through painful circumstances, such as losing your wife: I admit I may have done the first; I am sure I have done the second. However, as I walked through the painful process of accepting the reality of losing my…
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Three Ways to Raise Your Hand to God
Jasmine was in the ICU for three weeks when I was told she would never regain consciousness. This was a total shock, and I needed time to process it. I was not ready to “let her go.” Standing beside her the next night, I witnessed her oxygen absorption drop from 92% (which is okay) to…
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