Tag: saul phillips

I have information! Now I just need to figure out what to do with it…

The doctor tells me I have invasive lobular cancer. I always like to be known as special, so thankfully, that same doctor tells me the type of breast cancer I am carrying is pretty rare– found in only 14% of the cases.

It is positive for hormone ... Read More


“You’ve done a lot of acts of kindness today, Mom.” I seriously cannot get anything past my 11 year old daughter.

I had just hopped back in the car with a Diet Mountain Dew that I picked up at the gas station for a neighbor.

“What do you mean, Jo?” I honestly couldn’t think of any act of kindness I had done ... Read More


There are two ways to live. One is as if nothing were a miracle. The other is as if everything were a miracle.

I’ve always been a miracle sort of girl. It’s like a game to me, to try and find God in all the details of my life. But all of a sudden, it’s seems less like a game and ... Read More


My friend Liz has been haunted for a year by the way she reacted to her husband’s random act of kindness last Christmas Eve. I’ll let her tell you about it:

“I love the holidays. I look forward to them every year. But inevitably, I am always amazed at the amount of stress I feel during this ‘joyous’ season. So much ... Read More


The other night I put my kids to bed an hour and a half before their regular bedtime so I could sit on the couch, eat Ben & Jerry’s and watch a Hallmark Christmas movie alone in silence.

I’m not sure what kind of message that is sending to my family, but I’m sure it’s not a good one.

I’ve got a ... Read More


A man came to my house the other day to repair all of those little things in a home that are too difficult to fix myself, yet not so difficult that they involve cutting my losses and just moving.

He actually came the first time to convince the mice who had moved into my basement that they’d be better off finding ... Read More


It’s been six months since the moving truck pulled out of my driveway in north Fargo and made the 16-hour trek to Athens, Ohio.

Six months. That seems like such a long time. By all outward appearances, we are settled into our new life: my husband’s face is on posters all over town announcing the basketball schedule; my kids have play ... Read More


Do you want to know the problem with making kindness your mission in life? You actually have to be kind. All the time.

The other day, my husband and I were having problems communicating. Since it was more of a technology issue than a marital issue, we headed into the cellphone store to straighten it out.Saul’s not big into reading the ... Read More

I had a friend once whose little boy was diagnosed with cancer. During that dark journey, the family was forced to rely on community support in almost every aspect of their lives. Medical bills, car payments, child care and homework delivery were all handled by a team of people who just wanted to help.

I watched that little boy slowly deteriorate ... Read More


Have you ever felt like everyone was in on a joke except you?

I’m not sure if I should feel angry or sad, but deep in my heart, I’m feeling a strange combination of dark emotions that are all jumbled together and desperately striving to find the light.

And it’s all the result of a third-grade birthday party.

My son goes to school ... Read More