It had been a week and Oona was still in a cocoon. No one really wanted to wake her unless we had to. She wasn’t eating, or she wasn’t eating much. She would take a sip from a straw if one of us gave it to her, and then she would settle back into the…
Chapter Eleven- The Great Compromise
I watched his name linger on my screen before it notified me of a voicemail. I wasn’t in the mood. I picked up my phone and rolled it over in my hand. Why couldn’t I relax? What was the big deal? Liam was nice, right? He had never proved himself otherwise. He wanted to go…
Chapter Nine- The Invisibles
I had successfully made it through another weekend without a slice and was feeling pretty good about it. I tried to forget the fact that I was moments away from it when Mitzi called me and distracted me, and I chose to overlook the fact that the only reason I hadn’t cut Sunday after the…
Chapter Seven – Cleaning House
There are two memories of my mom that stand out vividly in my mind, moments that I will never forget, moments that shaped the path of our relationship. The first was when I was nine years old. I came home from school upset. At that time our maid was Anna; she was younger and uninvolved,…
Life is loss.
In Ann Voskamp’s book “One Thousand Gifts” this is her admission, her announcement, her proclamation. Life is loss… when, what, who will you lose? It’s not a matter of will I lose, but solely when will I lose. Loss is familiar to me. One of my first childhood memories is wrapped in death.…
Enormous Stakes
Enormous stakes. That's what we are facing. Anyone who is in youth ministry realizes this, and too often it seems the pendulum is swinging the wrong way. Those that will are trying to help, to direct, to mentor, to lead, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to feel as if your efforts have staying power.…
School Daze
Like most parents in The South, last week my kids went back to school. My youngest began her last year of elementary school (I cannot truly be this old!) and my oldest began her seventh grade year. It seems like yesterday I held her in my arms for the first time in relief that the…
Another Look at Proverbs Thirty One
From the time I was pronounced as a bride, I have been admonished to live up to the character of this woman. Not that that is a bad thing, but it can be quite intimidating and daunting a task, even for a woman that feels guilty for resting. One of the most peaceful words of…
I am scared
I am scared. That’s not an admission of guilt; it’s a transparent expression of fear. I am scared of what I don’t know, what I can’t see, what I can’t quite put my fingers on, and what puts its hands around me. I can utter a million reasons why I shouldn’t be. I can recite…
The Road not taken
One of my favorite poems is "Road not taken" by Robert Frost. Let me share a taste: "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both. But being one traveler, long I stood, and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth." I…
Leslie A. Lamb 