Charlie Brown's Christmas' "O Tannenbaum" serenades my efforts to celebrate all that is precious, good, and . . . alive. Very alive. A frothy espresso rewards my nearly all-day cleaning and decorating efforts. Laundry done. Sheets and towels washed. Every inch of bathroom and bedroom cleaned and dusted. Christmas decorations dug out of storage and... Continue Reading →
That “other” Lauren. Where is she now?
Ecclesiastes makes it very clear that there are seasons for everything under the sun: life and death, grief and dancing, tearing and mending, building and breaking. The wise writer also made it apparent that life would be full of all these seasons, so learn to revel in them all while living here on earth. The... Continue Reading →
And Truth Sang
Many of you know my story. Know it is not over. Know that there are things in the past that, though I am not proud of them, have shaped me and driven me to my knees, changed me and pushed me into the waiting arms of my Savior. This battle with infertility and depression over... Continue Reading →
It’s a serrated howl
"'If it were up to me . . .' and then the words pounds, desperate and hard, 'I'd write this story differently.' I regret the words as soon as they leave me. They seem so un-Christian, so unaccepting - so No, God! I wish I could take them back, comb out their tangled madness, dress... Continue Reading →
Love letters in the sand
Jagged pebbles bit into her bruised elbows and knees. Prostrate before the Rabbi, the stones were no less sharp than the open wounds lacerating her soul. "Make it stop. Make it stop," she inwardly cried. "Let me wake up from this nightmare." A scream filled the air. Who could utter such a fearful noise, full... Continue Reading →
Four small tokens of gratitude. They happen to be chocolate.
My desk is covered in papers and miscellaneous teaching supplies. Make-up work for two students - one who has been downed by a stomach virus, another who is heading to Hawaii for a family wedding - nearly slides off the edge. Psychedelic Kleenex box perches near partially-completed current event report and often-jammed stapler. Coffee sits precariously near very full agenda... Continue Reading →
Deep questions.
I've asked my share of deep questions. Sometimes I've been blinded by those questions, failing to see the heartache of those around me, failing to care what situations were laying bare my friends and family, failing to wipe away my own tears long enough to catch someone else's. Sometimes, though, those deep questions have been... Continue Reading →
Bloodied hands
Sunlight creates prisms of haze on my eyelashes, as cold air raises goose bumps on my bare legs. Two miles around my nearby pond, and I'm ready to call it quits this morning. It's the same pond that I've jogged 'round and 'round when my heart was breaking over the pain of my friend's attempted... Continue Reading →
Changing my questions
I've always asked, "Why?" While most people begin to seriously question their callings in college, I can't remember a time in my life when I was not evaluating my destiny, wondering what God had planned for me. Not content to rest in the simple joys of Texas barbecues and neighborhood kickball tournaments, I knew even as a... Continue Reading →
Makin’ a Fool of Myself
One of the wisest pieces of advice I have received came from my Daddy sometime during my overly sensitive, awkward teen years . . . "Lauren, you can't take yourself so seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself." Well, I took that advice to heart. Did you see the girl laughing and dancing in circles near... Continue Reading →
