When the doctors diagnosed Pedro with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma back in April of 2002, word spread like wildfire through our small community. People who had never spoken a word to me in our first eight months suddenly started dropping by to help and encourage us. It didn’t take long for me… Read more“How to Tell If You’re Being Encouraged or Manipulated”
Tag: #coffeeforyourheart
Goodbye Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day seems synonymous with knights on white horses coming to rescue damsels in distress. Or not. Maybe it’s a dreary day filled with what-ifs and if-only-I-would-haves. If February 14 leaves you feeling empty and blah, maybe it’s time to kiss Valentine’s Day goodbye. Valentine’s Day has lost it’s meaning—it’s… Read more“Goodbye Valentine’s Day”
God Has a Purpose for Your Life
I haunted the hallways, waiting for the doctors to finish their regular morning meeting in the corner room. For days Pedro’s life had hung in the balance while a yeast infection in his blood ravaged his cancer-weakened body. The chemo treatment he had received shortly before the yeast started colonizing… Read more“God Has a Purpose for Your Life”
Why Go Deeper?
We sat down at the table and Pedro made sure that our three guests knew each other’s names before he blessed the food. “I bet you guys are starved,” I said with a smile to the two teenage students who had joined us for supper. “It smells so good,” Caleb… Read more“Why Go Deeper?”
Downcast
In the interest of full disclosure, I wouldn’t want anyone to thinks that caregiving contains miracle after miracle and daily evidence of God’s intervention (although those things did happen time and time again). Nor would I want anyone to think that caregivers live in a sheltered super-power-type world where quotidian… Read more“Downcast”
Mourn
My cell phone rang in the middle of a team parent’s meeting at Laura’s gymnastics class. Pedro’s voice sounded worse, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of his facial paralysis or because he really was worse. “I’m back in the hospital.” I breathed deeply and gripped the phone…. Read more“Mourn”
He Is
I shoved my feet into my boots and grabbed a pair of mittens before I headed out the door towards the crusty snow that formed a dirty blanket in the field across from our house. I turned back once and saw the warm lights of our home mocking me. Cancer?!… Read more“He Is”
