Everyone is quiet, looking at the wall, or their hands, avoiding eye contact, avoiding the unsaid. The ones who are experiencing their first holiday alone—without that husband, or child, or parent—it cuts deep. The group leader directs our attention to the theme “Getting through the holidays without your loved one” and asks, “Any ideas?” It would […]
Celebrating Advent with your Family: Week 3
When we are worn out, weary and wanting something more in life, we seek the Savior– our source of joy– even in the hurt, in the busy, in the bleak midwinter. The third week of Advent is a celebration of joy for those who feel joyless and overburdened. Come, sit at the Savior’s feet, and […]
The Gift of Peace
The world is full of hurried people. Worried, distracted people with too much on their plates. When life is full, we miss the small moments. So during this Advent, I wrote my worry on a slip of paper and burned it into ash. Finally ready to crush the serpent’s head, to tackle this problem by […]
Celebrating Advent With Your Family: Week 2
Peace is something that is hard to grasp in our hurried world. No time for rest. No time for balance, wholeness, well-being when our to-do lists are jam packed, when our cups are overflowing. I hope this advent service is a time when you can stop and rest and focus on him for a few […]
The Gift of Hope in Hard Times
A man runs down the street. He feels the crush of runners around him, the sound of their feet hitting the pavement, the smell of sweat and fall leaves. He cannot see; his blindness wraps him in a black curtain. For thirteen miles he runs, his feet rhythmically hitting the ground like a metronome thumping […]