“Healing is not the absence of pain,” writes Lora Jones in her book “Song of a Wounded Heart.” While her book wasn’t the first time I’d heard this concept, reading it recently helped me gain a focus for this month’s column. Lately I’ve been thinking about grief. I actually just finished writing a series on my blog focused on church […]

A few weeks ago at a Bible study I attend, the leader gave us a series of ice breaker questions to answer as a kick-off to our fall study. One particular section of the questionnaire asked us to describe something we were afraid of and something we were not afraid of. I got a little hung up on the answers. […]

The day was hot. Sweat crept down the back of my neck as I trudged behind my mom, one step and then another. We made our way down a street, also hot and lined with makeshift storefronts. My feet didn’t want to move and my legs hurt. I was tired of walking. Tired of shopping. I don’t remember voicing my […]

I watched my youngest pull himself up the diving board ladder. He confidently walked along the board protected by the rail and then slowed. I could tell he was tempted to turn back as he had before, but mixed in was a determination I hadn’t seen on previous attempts. He left the security of the rails, made his way to […]

I took a breath as I flipped the calendar to July. Normally that particular flip is met with an inhale and exhale of relief. In the past, July has meant a return to a slowed-down pace I delight in and look forward to. This year my breath was shaky and shallow. Anxious. A little uptight. I looked below my kids’ […]

Editor’s Note: Malinda’s column was cut off due to an error in production last week. The following is the column in it’s entirety. “Do you ever feel small?” I asked my companion, because as I gazed into the clear night sky full of twinkling, brilliant stars, that’s exactly what I felt. Small. The night was clear as I stared into […]

“Her’s was a life well-lived.” I heard that statement at a recent funeral, summing up the long life of a woman now passed on to Glory. She left behind a legacy of faithfulness, including people I’m thankful to call friends. The entire service was lovely. But out of all that was said, that particular statement stuck hard and fast, as […]

I always dreaded the practices when my high school track coach would send the team out on a town run designed to meander around the streets of Lindsborg. If I remember correctly, it was supposed to be a “recovery run” after a meet. But for me, a sprinter, there was nothing “recovery” about it. Those lengthy runs were enjoyable for […]

What does it take for a writer to lose her words? I’ve been growing my vocabulary for my lifetime–36 years now, starting today. I’ve had lots of vocab teachers, beginning with my mom but definitely not limited to people. Books. Books. Books. I’ve journaled since early elementary school. In fact, one of my old diaries currently sits on my writing […]

“But now they laugh at me, men who are younger than I….And now I have become their song; I am a byword to them. They abhor me; they keep aloof from me; they do not hesitate to spit at the sight of me” (Job 30:1, 9-10). Byword. Abhor. As I read those words I had a visceral reaction. I felt […]