I remember my first Christmas married and before kids, my husband and I had big dreams for the future and very little money. We were both in school and working part time. I was an undergraduate in Accounting and he was in his second year of medical school. I worked as a teller at a …
Watching and Waiting
My younger son and his bride were able to hear the heartbeat of their baby this week for the first time and their exclamations as they each shared the news with me were all joy and relief commingled. As they eagerly await the birth of their firstborn, their hopes and fears meet as in the …
Signs and Wonders
I didn’t expect my fig tree to bear fruit in its second year, yet somehow it bloomed well past its growing season. By winter, I counted at least twenty figs. They never reached peak size nor did they ripen. The first frost left the fruit exposed on bare limbs where they remain. The people in …
If Only
My mind runs ahead of me all day everyday. As I’m washing dishes or folding laundry, eating my breakfast or driving, if I’m not engaged in conversation (and sometimes even when I am) I am thinking ahead. I’m making plans with contingencies for every possibility I can imagine. When everything is going according to plan, …
A Mother’s Heart
My Gift - Artwork by Elisabeth Crocker with a little help from her mom Our kids made our hearts skip a beat when they shared their news that they’re expecting and we’d be grandparents, but their “don’t tell anyone yet because we want to announce it” left us anxious to celebrate and worried that we’d …
Real Live Baby
On Thanksgiving Day, everyone gathered at my grandmother’s for lunch joined hands to ask God’s blessing on our meal. Just before my daddy prayed, my younger son announced that he and his wife are expecting my second grandchild in June. I gave his hand a squeeze and glanced across at his wife who was holding …
Keeping Appointments
In the early weeks after my cancer diagnosis, I endured multiple doctors’ appointments each week. Once my radiation began last November, I visited the cancer center daily, five days a week, excepting weekends and holidays for twenty-eight days. Chemotherapy meant seeing the doctor and having labs drawn on Monday, a four hour session in the …
Your Destination Is Just Ahead
Recalculating. Return to the route. Make a legal u-turn. Promptings by the gps can cause blood pressure spikes, especially in heavy traffic or in unfamiliar territory. I really dislike being so dependent on technology for direction. I’ve pulled onto the highway to the right or left only to have the map spin like a compass …
Straining To See
My eyes strain to see the clock across the kitchen where it’s been plainly visible. I misdial the number to the insurance company because I misread the fine print. I ask my daughters to read amounts on price tags to me in the store. I’m in my fifties and I’ve needed reading glasses for awhile. …
Ice Cream For Breakfast
Thanksgiving means huge meals with all the family favorites, which unfortunately don’t come with labels. Potluck, for me this year, is like playing Russian Roulette with my insides! Since my cancer surgeries this past summer, my digestive system has been a little quirky. Suffice it to say, I’ve become aware of things that are necessary …
A Fitting Reply 