Honestly, the memories still feel fresh. They’ve long passed and healed, yet they’ve left scars. Not scars that remind me of pain, but scars forever reminding me of the power and hope of a God who saves. Life was upside down. Our once chaotic, yet predictably peaceful existence as a family of four had disappeared in a moment. We had stepped into the world of international adoption and fallen deeply in love with a little girl God called a Schumaker long before we’d ever seen her face. We didn’t know it, but our little Schumaker had suffered the unimaginable and the trauma and neglect had taken its toll on her mind and body. Classes. Books. Counselors. Doctors. We did it all in preparation, but none of it touched the depths of the battle we were about to fight. Malnutrition, PTSD, Continue Reading
Your Happily Ever After Marriage?
I’ve been writing in this quiet space for a few years now, and one of the topics I rarely write about is marriage. Although I am a huge advocate of marriage and believe marriage matters, I never feel qualified. Because quite frankly, I’ve never been really good at marriage. Partly because my expectations of all that would come after “I do” have not matched up with reality. Don’t get me wrong, there have been plenty of beautiful, magnificent moments, three amazing kids and too many furry critters to count. But there have also been hurdles and struggles sharper and more jagged than I ever imagined having the strength or will to navigate. And these have challenged my commitment and staying power so deeply, that sometimes the only thread holding this sacred union together was my/our Continue Reading
The Best Marriage Advice – Dance
I'm not one to write often about marriage. And I'm certainly not one to give advice. Because I know from experience there is no perfect recipe for a long and happy marriage. Sure, there are the core elements of forgiveness, honor, grace and sacrifice, but how these ebb and flow through each marriage is different. We are different. And sometimes when all the words have been emptied out and the tears have been dried, the best marriage advice is found in the most unusual of places. Not in books or therapy sessions. Not in renewing of vows or marriage retreats. Sometimes the best marriage advice seeps into our hearts one step at a time and one twirl at a time, on the dance floor. Where there are only two roles, the leader and the follower. Where there is no room for ego and no space Continue Reading