Summer brings to mind all those great family vacations. My mom didn’t like to fly so we always traveled by car – reptile farms and mermaid shows, waterfalls and caverns, old railroads and battlegrounds, Stuckey’s Pecan Logs and Callabash shrimp.
And all along the way were Gift Shops – marvelous, magical places full of coon skin […]
Our family is thrilled to be a part of this amazing project – www.inthelandofcanaan.com. This clip from the soon-to-be-released documentary is eye-opening, heart-opening and spot on!
How can we, as caregivers, help others see the people we care for as fully human, belonging, essential?
I just learned of a woman who took the life of her 24-year old daughter with special needs and then took her own life. Friends say she was very depressed and overwhelmed. She had not been receiving much help. How can caring for a family member with exceptional needs drive a person to such desperate […]
This morning I was feeling especially “put upon,” full of self-pity, exhausted from a night of no sleep, tired of the daily grind that faced me again today. I exploded on everyone in my path, which sent them scurrying off mumbling, “What’s up with her?” which left me feeling alone, misunderstood and unloved. Ever been […]
This is an old photo of my daughter, Mary Addison, and her friend Joseph. I love this photo for many reasons – mostly because our dear friend, Joseph, always saw angels and now he is with the angels. But this story is about an encounter Mary Addison had with a young homeless man and the […]
The post read, “We’re looking for people of peace to join us in this project.”
People of peace? What does that mean? Would I qualify? Am I a person of peace? Why a person of peace? What difference could that make as long as I’m qualified? But that was the only qualification. I was captivated and […]
As caregivers, we can easily become overwhelmed because we believe it is our job to fix, heal, protect, comfort and sustain the person for whom we care. We may find ourselves in the role of primary caregiver, but the truth is, only God has the ability to fix, heal, protect, comfort and sustain the person […]
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12
Easier said than done. We’ve been through a very dark time. Mary Addison has had seizures almost daily for 23 years, but recently, she would come out of seizures unable to walk, talk, even swallow. Just when she was making a little progress, […]
Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:38 (NIV)
Jesus’ words here resonate with me. There have been so many times when I just wanted to scream “I feel so alone! I can’t do this by myself.” I have […]
I went to visit my most favorite teacher ever – my third grade teacher, Mrs. Hasell. I had not seen her in over 40 years, but fate brought us back together on this steamy Saturday afternoon.
She seemed like she was 103 years old when she taught me, but she really was 103 upon my visit. […]
