To compare oneself to someone else is a recipe for unhappiness and anxiety. One of my fellow Sunday School teachers refers to this behavior as "compare-tinitis." It is like an illness that invades the mind and the spirit, and the only cure is to come to see that not being identical to anyone else makes... Continue Reading →
As a child, I loved the peace and quiet of being alone. Having been told that I would never have children of my own, I expected to spend my adult life in that blissful silence. But God had other plans for my life, for so much of it has been spent surrounded by the noise... Continue Reading →
Growing up, I never lived in a house that had a pet in it. Occasionally, I would feed a stray dog or cat, but then Mama would remind me that if you started feeding them, they would never leave, and we just could not afford another mouth to feed. My best friend's family always had... Continue Reading →
I am always amazed at the huge capacity of some people to feel pity, sympathy, and concern for the misfortunes and sufferings of others. They possess what I call "compassionate hearts." If you have ever been bullied or harassed, then you may understand better what I mean by the term. Remember that person who stood... Continue Reading →
Being alone for me was a defense mechanism, a means by which to avoid the conflict and anxiety of being bullied. Mama and I shared a three-room apartment, with a living room, bedroom, and a kitchen. For Mama, the living room was her sanctuary, bedroom, and bar, a place where she drank alone and often.... Continue Reading →
I was heading into the airport, on my way to Montreal, Canada to give a presentation. In my excitement, I nearly forgot to wave goodbye to my youngest child, Malcolm. He was the only one of my five children who came from my body. I had suffered three miscarriages before I was able to carry... Continue Reading →
The flu is epidemic in our part of he world, and having taken a flu shot, I assumed that Douglas and I were immune from the flu bug. But, alas, we were not! Douglas came home early last Saturday, which was telling in itself. Douglas' picture should be next to the word hardworking in the... Continue Reading →
Sitting in a Sociology class on family and marriage with a group of twenty-somethings, one young woman suddenly asked me how I managed to make all As on my exams and papers. I told her that because I started college at age 36 and had been raising children for 25 years, I had lived everything... Continue Reading →
In 1998, I was sitting alone at a table in a nice restaurant in Madrid, Spain, preparing to eat lunch, when a Spanish man invited me to join him and his wife for lunch. I was hesitant, because I was alone in Madrid, and I did not know how to relate to other people, always... Continue Reading →
All I knew about taking care of children when I became a mother to my sister's four children was that you feed one end, and you wipe the other, and you never get the two places confused! It's true that there are no manuals that help new mothers, whether you are having one child or... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 