Wouldn’t it have been nice to receive an instruction manual when first diagnosed? The doctor might share a blueprint, surefire way of raising a child with a bleeding disorder: “Follow this when this happens, and all will be fine.” Those who manage chronic illnesses know full well that there…
The terrible, awful, no-good, very bad year for my family is not 2020. It was 2013. My youngest son, Caeleb, spent most of that year in the hospital. In 2013, Caeleb, who was in second grade, missed about 70 days of school due to recurring bleeding in his…
We finally got a dog! She is a 3-month-old purebred golden retriever. It was love at first sight when we saw her at the pet store. From our very first interactions, we knew she was the one. We named her Lucky because the golden color of her coat is associated…
Life in the hospital can overwhelm us and leave us beaten down, as if we fought a war to end all wars. We exist by preparing for the next nurse, technician, or doctor to enter the room to check on our loved one. In our case, “MacDonald the Younger” suffered…
I have never heard anyone say, “I wish I could relive middle school.” It is a time when bodies rage with hormones and kids are gangly and awkward with acne and questions. It is also a time when grace is not extended to others. Kids can be mean.
Feeling hopeless? Wondering how you will possibly find the energy to go on? Wanting to smash your alarm clock, pull your covers over your head, and hide in your bed all day long? You are not alone. Coping with hemophilia day in and day out, as a patient or a…
As I write this, it’s the end of the month again, that time when bills are due, debts rack up, and stress is high. I often can’t help but fantasize about what life might be like if I were more successful as an entrepreneur. In the business world, success is…
I will never forget the night I was ordained as an elder in full connection in the United Methodist Church. We were about three and a half hours away from home at a church in the small town of Clovis, New Mexico. My ordination took place at the close…
The current state of our world has me longing for something. It’s something that when gone, nothing remains quite the same. What I long for is routine. Yes, I miss the humdrum and the mundaneness of routine. I can still count on some aspects of my life remaining steady, such…
Earlier today, as I was browsing one of the Facebook mom groups I belong to, I came across another mother’s heartbreaking post. Her daughter, a toddler like my own girl, had been battling cancer for some time. All I could think was that she was too little to have to…
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