by Deb Kalmbach | 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 Kalmbach | 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 Kalmbach | 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 Kalmbach | 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 Kalmbach | 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 Kalmbach | 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....
