A Gift of Love I’ll Never Forget
This is for you, Grandma,” Ruthie said, handing me a little boot ornament. “I made it myself. It got broke, but you can fix it.” “I just love it, Ruthie,” I told her, meaning every single word. “It’s…
The Holiday Reunion
We were almost there. It had been a while since we saw the whole family. With my writing assignments and my husband’s job, busyness kept us from the get-togethers. But it all fell into place this year. We…
What if They’re not Missing Anything?
Wow, look at that! Whenever we witness something amazing, the first thing we want to do is share it. Love wants to share Maybe you’ve seen a sunset that takes your breath away. Immediately you think of someone…
When Sadness Moves in
Our walls can no longer hold laughter, like they always have done before. But instead, it’s like sadness decides to move in, and then quietly closes the door. Grief is a quiet intruder, who will show up whenever…
Remembering Peggy
September 12, 1982 The day you disappeared. Out of my life, but never my mind. There was a hole that never got filled. You and I were supposed to be sitting together talking about our grandkids. You never…
Important Things Someone in Grief Needs
The funeral is over. Traces of it are everywhere. The extra food in the fridge, the pile of sympathy cards on the buffet. The huge hole in your heart. Now it’s time to grieve. You’ve heard about people…
Life is Hard, but God is Still Good
Life is hard. Sometimes, it feels impossible. On March 11th, 2016, we buried our 14-month-old granddaughter, Olivia. It was one of our hardest times. Why would a loving God give a child and then carry her away at 14…
Photo courtesy of JessicaPetersonArt.com
How to Trust God With Crushing Disappointment
“Should we stop for something to eat?” I asked my husband, when we had finished loading up the van. We were on our way home from a retreat. I got to share my poetry and then offer my…
Photo courtesy of jessicapetersonart.com
I Listened to Mark Twain and My Post about Grief Went Viral
I was shocked when the numbers kept rising. Sure, one time a poem I wrote reached 50,000 people on Facebook, and I was thrilled. But this was different. My poem reached over 1,605,000 hurting people. And not only…
What Did you Do With Jesus?
I couldn’t believe it. I had to see for myself. I finished gathering all the spices I needed. It was the last thing I could do to honor him. I wipe the tears from my face. Peter must…
Tell Yourself the Truth
I sat across from her with hope, maybe this counselor would help me. I knew the drill. I pour out my hurting heart, she tells me what she thinks. And then she said words I had not heard…
What to do When You Don’t Want to Forgive
Who do you need to forgive? You probably don’t have to think long when this subject comes up. You can already visualize the person. And just in case you come up empty, let me ask you this question. If you…
Suicide is Not the Only Way Out
I almost became a widow three times. I don’t say this lightly. I have had to work through layers of anger and resentment. But God has helped me do just that. How could my husband do this to…
We Can Be More Accepting of People and Less Critical
Not one time. I’m not kidding, there wasn’t one time I can think of when I heard something positive out of my dad’s mouth. My mom would spend hours creating a dish and it would taste out of…
Why Hope is the Most Important Thing We Can Share
Everyone needs hope. I didn’t recognize the caller on my ID. Still, I picked up the phone. “I was wondering if there was a Pete Peterson there,” the woman said. Wrong numbers happen. But I didn’t hang up.…
Simple things to do to Calm Anxiety
The day starts out fine. Things look okay and then before you know it your heart starts racing. You’re anxious, but don’t know why. You’re pretty sure if you don’t do something, you will work yourself into an…
Encouraging the Hurting With Words of Hope
We live in a world that lacks hope. Trials, sickness, loss abounds and people sink beneath its heavy load. Without hope people despair. Hope gives people a vision of how things could be. Proverbs 13:12 says Hope deferred makes the heart sick,…
How to Be an Authentic Giver
The holidays are approaching. Tis the season for giving, right? Many people know how to give. But there are times we find ourselves thinking we are giving, when we’re not. How to be an authentic giver is a tricky…
The Day My Strong Heart Broke
Here I lie on a gurney. The ER doors open. People rush toward me. Someone puts little patches on my chest while a blood pressure cuff is strapped on. Another nurse looks for a willing vein. I just…
Don’t Make These 3 Mistakes When Giving
I brought in the plastic bags. Putting them down on the table, I unload them, thankful I got to go to the food pantry today. Thankful I have something different to offer my family. Opening the Duncan Hines…
This is How You’ll Know if Your Friendships Will Last
I noticed her name in my worn out address book. You remember address books, don’t you? They are something from the past. I hadn’t thought about her in a long time. I wondered how she was, what was…
How to Grow Your Faith When it Seems so Small
What happened? You used to believe God for anything. People would even come to you and ask you to pray. But lately, you feel like your prayers are going up as far as the ceiling and just staying…
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How to Honor Those You’ve Lost
Death. The true thief. It comes without warning and snatches away those who are important to us. And even when we know our loved one is ill, that their death is imminent, we still hope, that just maybe…
How to Deal With Your Loved One Dying
The call was brief. Most bad ones are. “The cancer is back,” he said. I knew what I wanted to do, but I also knew breaking down would not help my brother right then. “So what is the…
What if You Really Are a Success Right Now
Sales. Likes. Followers. I’m sick of using the same old measuring sticks. Those are not the things that made me want to be a writer. Not at all. So what if you really are a success, right now? And you…
Caregivers Have Needs. Want to Know What They Are
I thought I would try. What did I have to lose? So I typed in my question, What do caregivers need? What I didn’t know was that I would still be getting responses 14 hours later. So here…