I’m wondering today if you are feeling disappointed. The Christmas holidays are almost over. Though we are still surrounded by decorations and lights, for many of us the sparkles only magnify our loneliness. Our losses. Were you alone this Christmas, even if you weren’t alone? Did you watch your children not getting along? You […]
Read More
Everyone’s life is a story. And everyone’s story includes long and often repeated chapters of suffering. As the Psalms remind us, we sometimes feel that God has abandoned us, that He isn’t listening or paying attention, or that perhaps He is asleep. But just as every masterful novel, musical, or song has a theme, […]
Read More
Food gives comfort and shared with others it brings joy. There are recipes I make only in the month of December because they belong exclusively to Christmas. You too? Perusing these collected possibilities brings joy as I remember the friend or family member who introduced the cookies or soup or casserole to our family. […]
Read More
To my friends, Last week I woke up early. I looked out the window to assess the time and assumed it was about 6am. The sun wasn’t up but the sky seemed to be lightening in the east. My mind began working as it so often does in my interrupted sleep world. “What should […]
Read More
Dear Friends, I’m beginning this post differently today because I need your help. It’s an understatement to say life has changed in 2020. What wasn’t clear last winter is now becoming more obvious: The changes to our lives are not the result of just a single virus named Covid, but other viral infections are […]
Read More
My expectations for Thanksgiving this year have changed. Dramatically! With all the uncertainty in our lives, we’ve decided not to do our usual Peterson family gathering of 30-40 people this year. Though we intended to continue this annual Thanksgiving tradition for at least this year since my mom died, it’s now clearly not prudent. […]
Read More
Do you feel like you are holding your breath this week? Do you feel anxious and hypervigilant? I can’t say anything about the events happening tomorrow and this week because recently I wrote a post and mentioned in one sentence the name of our collective civic duty and was blocked on social media. It’s […]
Read More
Two weeks ago I shared a devotion from my dear friend Joanne. Today I want to share one from Susan. The three of us live in three different states and do a 3-way call once a month to catch up and then we do a lot of praying for each other in between. On […]
Read More
Everything feels foreign and different this year. Our long ordeal with Covid-19 continues to impact every area of life, it seems. This would be bad enough, but with the looming chaotic presidential election, the future seems even more unsure. Still one of my favorite verses is true, “He shall be the stability of your […]
Read More