by Deb | comfort, compassion, encouragement, gratitude, loss, Uncategorized |
When we moved to the Methow Valley in North Central Washington almost 20 years ago, my husband Randy and I were naive about the risks of wildfires. We purchased some property in a high risk fire area, not thinking about the implications of building a home in the...
by Deb | addiction, alcoholism, blessings, comfort, compassion, difficult relationships, God's faithfulness, gratitude, hope, love, loving others, marriage, perseverance, recovery, Uncategorized |
Several years ago, just before Christmas, my boss and his wife treated my co-workers and me to an afternoon of extravagance. Each of us was pampered with a massage, facial and manicure. As I lay on the massage table having the yummiest-smelling creams applied to my...
by Deb | aging parents, comfort, dads, encouragement, grief, hope, life |
My brother posted this picture of our dad on Facebook on what would have been his 87th birthday. Dad passed away on January 1 and it still doesn’t seem quite real that he’s gone. Friends who have lost loved ones have told me the “firsts” are...
by Deb | alcoholism, comfort, compassion, difficult relationships, faith, God's faithfulness, grace, letting go, love, loving others, surrender |
I called my homeless brother yesterday. I only wanted to say that I love him. He couldn’t hear that. He thought I was trying to intervene, judging him. He told me his life is miserable, the party’s over–not that there ever was a party, I thought. I...
by Deb | comfort, faith, friendship, God's faithfulness, grief, loss, suffering |
There are times when you know you’ve encountered a holy experience. Two weeks ago, on a Friday evening, friends gathered to remember our friend Melissa. She lost her agonizing battle with depression and took her life on a Saturday morning in early December.We...
by Deb | aging parents, comfort, friendship, grief, loss |
I’ve heard it said there’s a point in time when we become a parent to our parents. I know this in my head. My heart doesn’t want to accept this role reversal. I’m only too aware that we’re all aging. Years have passed by in a blink....
