My mom’s voice cracked, then it went silent. I looked again at my cell phone to make sure I’d called the right number. “Mom? Is this you?” The next voice I heard was that of my older brother, Mark, speaking for Mom because she couldn’t. The day had come. They would have to give Zoe, …
I couldn’t understand what my two-year-old grandson, Eli, was saying. We were at our church’s playground, and as I was pushing him on the swing, he was asking me something I couldn’t quite make out. Finally, I got it. His Kentucky boy accent had his word for “bells” sounding like bales, as in bales of …
At the close of a visit with friend who has spent more time in the hospital than either he or anyone anticipated, I asked him what I could do for him. Without a moment’s hesitation, he said as plainly as his physical condition would allow: “I want you to pray for me.” He knew people …
The bumper sticker had only one word on it: “Loving-kindness.” And as soon as I read it, I suspected Someone was trying to mess with my mind, for I was in no mood for such a one word aphorism as “loving-kindness,” my patience having been tested by the distracted waitress who forgot to turn in …
“You always miss your daddy when he’s gone. My daddy’s been gone 25 years now, and I miss him every day.” That’s my 91-year-old dad consoling my wife, Lori, just the other day when we were visiting him in Lubbock, TX. Her dad died recently, and the pain left by his demise is still raw. …