This is a story of how I fuss while waiting on God’s answers, yet in His goodness, He helps. It is the story of my daughter Emily’s uneven legs. On Saturday, June 27, 2015, our 12-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn, informed us that her sister’s left leg was an inch longer than her right. Of course, the…
I love new calendars–they’re like a clean slate. On my new calendar, I like to pencil in my appointments and goals. The first of the year and the month we return to school are two times of the year that I use to reevaluate my goals, though I do try to assess them each month…
The Yuletide carols say this is the “most wonderful time of the year”. It is true that Christmas is a beautiful time with colorful lights, joyful music, and generous giving; but it is also a very stressful time of the year if we lose sight of the true meaning of the holiday. If I’m not…
Recently, I learned that my daughters enjoy whipping me down to the mat and testing me to see if I can get myself out of potentially dangerous situations. Their enthusiasm causes the instructors to chuckle and me to warn them not to hurt anyone, especially their “old” mama. The loud thwack as I hit the…
Family secrets always cause pain. The secrets Hannah Sterling discovers after the death of her mother are shocking, and her journey to Germany to find the answers to her questions only brings more disturbing news and some unsavory people into her life. Hannah’s mother had always been distant, so much so that Hannah felt unloved…
Betty Vetterli’s Matterhorn CD yodeled from my laptop. As the accordion pumped and the singer let out an echoing call, I was transported back to my childhood, sitting on my grandparents’ porch listening to the local radio station’s Swiss Hour. My maternal grandfather, 100 percent Swiss, tolerated my teenage self when I whined about whether…
It is Thanksgiving, the day we count our blessings. Our church has a Thanksgiving service on the eve before. During this service, people often give testimonies for things for which they are thankful. I remember one Thanksgiving service when my boys were very young and my husband had just lost his job because the work…
Somehow in life we pick up false beliefs that drag us down and keep us from being happy and reaching our full potential. These lies run through our minds as negative thoughts or spill out of our mouths when we cut ourselves down. Sometimes events or circumstances seem to reinforce a lie because our view…
After years of trying to lose weight and failing, I had a break through last year. I lost over 40 pounds and went down five sizes in six months. This journey was surprising, and in the end, satisfying because I did it with simple adjustments, and all it cost me was some time. You can…
You know that you have small children in your home if . . . • You notice that there are raisins on your table, and you set out chocolate covered raisins. • You notice your walls are gray three feet from the floor instead of white, and no matter how much you scrub, it keeps…