An unfortunate incident on a California freeway made me wish emotions could be sucked up like dust by a vacuum. Instead, we have to learn how to manage them when the emotional pollen count is high.
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The inspiring story of how my dad recovered his hope following the death of my sister, following a three-year battle with ALS in 2010.
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Maybe a commencement address isn’t meant to be more than a pep talk, but at such a significant moment in those young lives, wouldn’t it be great if it were?
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After watching a pair of ferns build a nest for days, a strong wind knocked it down. Seeing their little home in shambles made me feel sad that my last child was leaving home.
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Parenting can feel like being stuck in a swamp with no way out but to keep slogging. And no wonder it's tough to raise tiny humans – we struggle to be mature and do the right things ourselves.
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No matter how productive and hard-working I think I am, sloth is a concern in this modern era of entertainment and comforts available on demand. Why does time matter so much?
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It’s no wonder God compares people to sheep so often in the Bible. We share many common traits. One of them is that we are built for community.
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It is hard to part with physical objects that carry emotional content. Many items I have chosen to hang onto feel like threads connecting me to seasons and people I don't want to release.
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The distraction provided by fiction may temporarily obscure the darkness, but it doesn't drive out darkness. Make-believe stories can transport, but they can't transform.
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When you see adoption or foster stories in movies, the parents seem to have it all together and know just the right things to say. That wasn’t me. But, after a disastrous trip to Disney with our daughter-to-be, I was somehow hopeful.
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I did things in 2020 I never thought I would do. It was a weird year by any standard. As the year ended, I wondered if anything was gained or worth salvaging.
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I had blind faith in a pack of sled dogs in the sub-arctic until the lights went out. Then, my faith disappeared like the misty air coming out of my lungs, because I didn’t know or trust the animals to lead me home.
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While dog-sledding in northern Sweden once, my light went out, leaving my son and me in total darkness. It would have been comforting to have known that, even when I didn’t know what to do or where I was going, they knew.
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In 2004, a merino sheep was discovered in New Zealand, hiding in a cave, covered with 60 pounds of wool! In Shrek’s story, I see myself: hiding in the cave of my mind, hoarding worries and problems.
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Recently, my family and I hiked a beautiful but rugged trail in the Virginia mountains with a rewarding view at the end. Suddenly, the peace was broken by a primal scream, which apparently came from me.
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Watching my sweet child’s frustration rise over missing socks that October school morning, I experienced an epiphany that changed my view of tedious tasks forever: clean socks have power.
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Although we don't always have control over whether parents (birth or adoptive) are part of our lives or whether we have siblings, a spouse, or children, we can control whether we have and grow friendships.
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One night after I brought my first baby home from the hospital, my husband returned from work to find me crying on the bed in the dark. I was holding the baby, who was also wailing, and I was in near-total shutdown mode. I had tried everything in the books to soothe him, but nothing worked. I felt like giving up.
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Keeping our emotions in check, responding in godly ways, and not being overly swayed by the acted-out feelings of others is critical to a life of peace. But it’s easier said than done.
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Like a car that won’t go another mile without gas, I sometimes tend to get out and push the car instead of filling up during difficult seasons in life. This practice doesn’t get me very far.
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