by Deb Kalmbach | COVID, faith, pandemic, perseverance, perspective
Does anyone out there need some hope and encouragement? You probably noticed we have just passed the halfway mark for 2020. In some ways, it seems like I blinked and 6 months have disappeared. In other ways, it feels more like the longest 6 months ever. A friend...
by Deb Kalmbach | faith, perseverance, personal growth
Quite a few years ago, the church I was attending struggled through a tough season. Our senior pastor resigned because of inappropriate behavior. The church family felt devastated. Some believed it couldn’t be true, while others left. The denomination...
by Deb Kalmbach | addiction, alcoholism, comfort, compassion, difficult relationships, encouragement, faith, forgiveness, friendship, gratitude, hope, life, love, loving others, marriage, perseverance, personal growth, reconciliation, recovery, substance abuse, women
God still sends angels: ones with skin, hair and belly laughs. Angels like our friend, Jim. I met him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting where I was the speaker for Al-Anon. I remember feeling at a loss for encouraging words. My situation with Randy and his alcoholism...
by Deb Kalmbach | addiction, Al-Anon, alcohol, alcoholism, compassion, courage, difficult relationships, encouragement, hope, letting go, love, loving others, marriage, perseverance, recovery, substance abuse, surrender
Cunning…baffling… powerful… Alcoholics Anonymous uses those words to describe alcoholism. It’s true. I’ve never felt more confused and powerless than when dealing with my husband Randy’s alcoholism. It’s an intense battle—one most of us are...
by Deb Kalmbach | addiction, alcoholism, difficult relationships, encouragement, faith, forgiveness, grace, hope, legacy, love, loving others, marriage, perseverance, prayer, reconciliation, substance abuse
I heard the news that a young couple in our community is getting a divorce after only one year of marriage. What went wrong? All I know is this is a tragedy. I remember the wedding announcement we received with their bright smiling faces, their eyes so filled with...
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...
