Current Events
Beating Breast Cancer, Step by Step
Walking 39 miles against breast cancer reminded me that we're not powerless in this fight — and that stress, the quiet killer, deserves far more attention.
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Stories about everything from motherhood, faith, and grief, to classical-Christian education, current events, and the writing life.
Current Events Wellness
What 40 Feels Like
Turning 40 was supposed to be a milestone I shared with my brother. Instead it's a bittersweet passage through deep sorrow and muted joy.
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Forgiveness After a Suicide: What Does it Mean?
Forgiveness after a suicide isn't forgetting — it's releasing the hurt to God, who can build something lovely from the ashes.
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Identity Theft
My brother lost himself in a marriage that defined him, and the lies of worthlessness overwhelmed a man who never stopped extending grace.
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Not Enough: When Guilt Follows a Suicide
The guilt that stalks after a loved one's suicide is relentless — but in the space between sadness and hope, I'm learning to let light return.
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Sorrow, Strangely Sweet
Postpartum depression, mother loss, my brother's suicide — life's most tragic stories aren't without beauty. Somehow, hardship makes joy sweeter, and redemption lurks in the mire.
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Why Suicide Isn't a Selfish Act
Calling suicide selfish is ignorant and hurtful. My brother was in extreme pain, and he believed his children would suffer less without him. That is not cowardice — it is a desperate, human response to unbearable agony.
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Gifts My Brother Gave Me
Since Jim died, I've been unwrapping 39 years of memories like gifts without a shelf life. Losing my mom was an unusual gift too — the space she left was filled by the siblings I came to know and love more deeply.
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Talking to Preschoolers About Death
I knew the question was coming, but not this soon. At bedtime my 4-year-old asked where my mommy was — and gave me a glimpse into the profound depth of his little soul.
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I Don't Want to Have it All. I Just Want Variety.
I don't want to have it all. I just want variety — and the wisdom to find happiness in that way station between too little and too much.
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A Marathon Walk, Plus Half
I walked 39.3 miles through Chicago in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer — pushing back, for the first time physically, against the disease that stole my mom.
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Going Back to Preschool
My first-born's last day of preschool reminded me that the tiny years are fleeting — and that thanks to Noah, I'm going back to school too.
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