Posts by writingjoy
A Piece of Freedom
It was a simple two-word question on my Facebook. “Nose-piercing?” It sparked immediate and polarized reaction. People of all ages loved the idea, people of all ages hated it. Some assumed I was thinking about piercing my own nose, others read it as a more general “what do you think about nose-piercing?” question. It was…
Read Moregratitude in the face of grief
your encouraging notes, emails, and tweets have born us through a difficult anniversary. thank you. we will never be the same for being Elli’s family, and i’m finally able to say that this is a good thing. if you haven’t read “One Thousand Gifts” yet, you must. Ann writes the road through the darkest dark…
Read Moremy soul thirsts for you
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! 2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit…
Read MoreA Most Fragile Flower
Remembering the 11th birthday of our daughter Elli, who passed away in 2008 *** “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25 Warm winter days in the Midwest can coax bulbs…
Read MoreTo my daughter on her eleventh birthday
Dear Elli, We miss you. Your dad and I think about you every day. We savor those rare vivid dreams of you, where we can see, hold, and hear you again. (Those dreams can’t happen too often.) We love to talk about you. So bitter-sweet. Every morning, the school bus that you used to ride…
Read MoreBlog Break
I’m going to take this week off. It’s been a long time since I took a blog-writing vacation, and I need to step back, clear my head, rethink some things. I have a lot going on too, and this is one thing that can sit for a few days. Keep us in your prayers, if…
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