[Spoiler Alert: this was written following Season 2, episode 13, which aired on 1/23/18] After nearly two seasons, the writers of ‘This is Us’ revealed more details of how Jack, the father in the series, died. We watched him clean the kitchen while his wife slept, putting food away, washing dishes, wiping counters, and then […]
grief
Remembering Kalkidan Year 3
This morning we are quiet. In the early hours, Russ and I sat together, coffee mugs in hands, talking and sharing tears. Year three of remembering the day we lost Kalkidan. Today marks the most traumatic event we’ve ever experienced while also marking the day Kalkidan ran into the loving arms of Jesus. Life is […]
How to Survive When Grief is Your Teacher
Grief is the teacher you hope you’ll never get. As you trace your finger down the column of names assigned to each class, you hope you won’t find your name on her list. But then you see it – your name typed in crisp letters, and your heart sinks. You get the call. You hear […]
Heaven and The Last Battle
Today I finished reading The Chronicles of Narnia aloud to a child, all seven books, most likely for the last time. That’s a heavy thought for this book-loving, read-aloud loving mamma. As Wogayu and I made our way through the final pages of The Last Battle, I had to pause several times, my throat choked with […]
Held By Love
On the morning marking two years, I walked into the kitchen; Russ was standing at the window looking out at the snow. He turned as I poured coffee. “Do you remember what today is?” “Yes,” he quietly answered. “You know what I remember most about that day?” “What?”he said, reaching out his hand to me. […]
Why You Shouldn’t Fake It (thoughts from a teenager)
My daughter, Annarose, posted this on Facebook a few days before Christmas and I asked to share it with you. She is a deep thinking, eighteen-year-old with wisdom beyond her years, born of suffering as a sister of kids from “hard places” and later through the loss of Kalkidan. I love this girl beyond words. […]