Today is a day of celebration! My first grandchild, a boy, was born to my daughter, Caroline Rebekah and her husband, Jacob Matthew. Thomas Jay Bulman arrived today at 12:26, weighing 8 pounds and measuring 21 inches long. His birth makes me a grandmother for the very first time. My understanding of and capacity for …
God Can Be Trusted
My hematology oncologist, Expo marker in hand, began explaining my diagnosis while writing what looked like chemical symbols on a white board, alphanumeric with superscripts. His pronounced accent and the mind-numbing shock that comes with hearing you have advanced stage cancer made me feel like the proverbial deer in the headlights. I sat next to …
It Should Have Been Me
Slight pressure in my right hand pulled me toward consciousness as I fought to kick the covers from my legs. A female voice comforted me as she patted my legs and helped me to untangle my feet. The bright light overhead reminded me that I was waking from anesthesia and the sound of my husband’s …
Craving Comfort
Guest Post by Kimberly J. Branham “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort …
Good Figs
Guest Post by Kimberly J. Branham My mother-in-law and father-in-law have several fig trees. Once a year, they begin to bear fruit. My daughter and I love figs, so we anxiously await the day when they are ripe and ready to enjoy. There is almost nothing better than a perfectly ripe fig! Equally true, there …
Insurance
When I was in 5th grade, the Gideons still came into public schools to distribute personal New Testaments to any child who wanted a copy of God’s Word free of charge. I don’t remember anyone in my class declining the offer and we each went home that day with God’s Word in hand, imitation leather …
Splendor
I am not musically gifted but I love to sing. I took several years of piano lessons and my fingers instinctively follow music as if I’m playing, but I never really got past chopsticks. My babies were serenaded with hymns and worship songs rather than lullabies as I rocked them to sleep, the lyrics a …
Beautiful
Sunsets are my favorite. I haven’t been awake to see very many sunrises, but I’ve collected photos over the past few years of spectacular sunsets. I’ve even watched the sun set from the airport and then again after takeoff. While we were in the building process, it’s fair to say I have as many pictures …
Light
Each of our three children made a trip to Camp Saint Christopher on Seabrook Island for the Barrier Island program during 5th grade. My husband and I took turns chaperoning these trips; he with our two boys and I with our girl. Many things stand out in my memory about my year, but the Nighttime …
Trust
It’s sometimes difficult to know who to trust. Credibility is established within relationship where trust grows over time. When I tell you that I will do something and I follow through repeatedly, I become trustworthy. My husband and I made very specific promises to each other thirty years ago, and three decades of keeping those …
A Fitting Reply 