It’s humbling to realize that while I was sitting on the living room floor watching my kids tear into the colorful assortment of presents under the Christmas tree, other lives were unfolding simultaneously in ways much different than mine.
Jayne Holtgrewe of Moorhead spent her day nursing her husband back to health after he experienced a terrible fall.
But instead of grieving ... Read More
It’s our stories that build the color into our lives. Yes, there is often pain as they are being written, but without that pain we wouldn’t know real joy.
I want to spend this week and next sharing the story of a mom and her teenage son, and the beauty that unfolded when one act of kindness led to the next.
“My ... Read More
“Suppose for a moment that God began taking from us the many things for which we have failed to give thanks. Which of our limbs and faculties would be left? Would I still have my hands and my mind? And what about loved ones? If God were to take from me all those persons and things for which I have ... Read More
Does what I do matter?
Have you ever thought that to yourself?
Perhaps you’ve been in the checkout lane when the cashier asks if you’d like to donate a dollar to end world hunger. Or maybe you’ve dropped off old towels and blankets so they could be sent to some area of devastation overseas. Most recently, I was asked to donate bottles ... Read More
I woke up in the middle of the night this week with an incredibly clear thought: fishes and loaves.
Let me back up. My sweet 13 year old daughter was featured on NBC Nightly News last Wednesday. An hour after it aired, I was on the phone with the manager of Shop Athens ... Read More
I have written more than 300 stories for this column, but I’d have many more to share if it weren’t for one tiny phrase that keeps repeating itself in a variety of forms.
“I don’t want to toot my own horn.”
“I hate to brag.”
“If I get my rewards on Earth, I won’t get them in Heaven.”
“I was taught to give in ... Read More
When we talk about feeding the hungry, we usually talk about feeding people who literally don’t have enough to eat. There are kids in my area who grab a bag of chips from the convenience store because it’s cheaper than buying a sandwich and an apple. It’s also cheaper than paying for the school lunch if they don’t quite qualify ... Read More
If I were left to my own devices, there is no way you would be reading this kindness column right now.
I know nothing about printing a newspaper or scheduling delivery routes. I know even less about how the internet works and how to get the newspaper on a home computer.
The only way I’m able to get out this message of ... Read More
There are situations in life that knock our socks off — and not in a good way.
We didn’t see the results of that biopsy coming…
We didn’t understand how far gone our children were until they were too far gone to reach…
We never imagined that a day that started out so normal could take such a tragic turn…
Sure. Some of it’s ... Read More
“I’m not proud of my daughter.” That’s a stupid title, right? Of course I’m proud of my daughter.
It’s just that when people say, “You must be proud” (which they say quite often right now thanks to Walmart carrying her product), I feel something else.
It’s not exactly pride. It’s something deeper. I feel… gratitude.
That’s it. Not pride. Gratitude.
In each 13-year-old girl’s ... Read More
