“There is no way I can do this. It’s too hard. I just can’t.”  I don’t know how many times I told God this as I was in the process of writing the story of Lexi. Revisiting memories brought back hard emotions. The writing process itself is so hard for me and I...

“Just stop, you annoying mutt!” I scream inside my head. It’s 5:45 AM and Eliza, my daughter’s golden retriever, will not give up. She wants in the house. She’s on the back deck, scratching, whimpering, clawing, and she won’t stop, not for a second. If she could just...

“Do not turn to idols, or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal; I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:4  At the time when God gave His law to His people, we know that hand-made idols were commonly used throughout the civilized world. Most cultures made a...

Chaos. Anxiety. Frustration. Desperation. The pressures of life can feel a lot like the windstorm on the Sea of Galilee depicted in this painting by Simon de Vos.  Sometimes taking a minute to gaze at a painting can really shine light on a situation and speak to...

When we keep our eyes open, God gives us moments of blessing, comfort, and joy.  As I write this, it is the morning of Lexi’s birthday. Twenty-nine years ago, I became a mother. But Lexi is not on this earth to celebrate with, which is not an easy thing to face....

“Don’t pursue happiness - create it.” This was the wisdom from my fortune cookie last week. Those five words have made me stop and think. Because I spend a lot of time trying to pursue happiness. I’ll get through this day of work, and then it’ll be the weekend and I...

I don’t know about you, but when I am looking for meaningful verses from the Bible, I seldom turn to books like Leviticus, Numbers or Deuteronomy. These books are just full of rules that seem outdated and inapplicable. Sure, they contain the Ten Commandments, and...

“Why are you wearing those shorts?” “Why is there a puzzle piece missing?” “Why is your car that color?” “Why don’t you have any candy?” My young nieces and nephew are so inquisitive – they want to know the answers to everything in the world around them....

This summer I have spent some time talking with my dad about his life story. And he sure has a story to tell. After his father was taken by the Communist party in 1941, months before my father was born, his family fled the Ukraine for Germany, and eventually...

Somehow it’s so easy for me to get sucked into the show Forensic Files. Mike tells me it’s because I’m researching ways to get rid of him if I get tired of him (sorry, he thinks he’s funny).  But these 30-minute episodes are so satisfying. After an unbelievably...