On Feb. 12 it snowed. And not just a wimpy snow. An actual good snow. A snow where you could go outside and play. Make a snowman. Make a snow fort. Have a snowball fight. Fall on your belly and not break your teeth. I love snow and have been impatiently waiting all winter for decent accumulation. I know there […]

Things I’ve learned from my adoption “What do I have to be thankful for? My own dad didn’t want me.” Thanksgiving was creeping closer, and I had just unleashed that question on a group of high school freshmen I thought to be my friends. If I recall correctly, it was the first time I voiced that inner turmoil. My biological […]

It was a dark, early morning. The sun remained asleep and yet people streamed quietly from the warmth of vehicles into the crisp winter air, up a set of stairs and into church. The flood of light accompanying the swing of the doors teased the yet-night sky. Though pulled from my bed before the normal hour, my eyes were bright […]

“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 […]