Various people at our church were asked to write reflections about a specific name given to Jesus and read them at our Christmas Eve service last night.  I was given the opportunity to reflect on one such name and thought I would post my vignette here.  Merry Christmas!” The Amen What child is this?  He

Dear Judson, Happy Fourth Birthday! I’d love to take you out for coffee today.  We could go to Peet’s.  Instead of sharing my drink with you, I’d get you your own.  And it would be a nice, sweet, Happy Birthday hot cocoa.  By the end, I’m sure you’d have chocolate all over your mouth-you are,

Dear Judson, Ever since you died, my life feels like it moves at a pace and rhythm far different than the rest of the world.  This is especially evident today.  As the commotion and hustling bustling for Christmas swishes by me, my world comes to a screeching halt as we commemorate your birthday. I gave

I would describe myself as an emotional wreck the last couple weeks.  I feel as though this gnawing sorrow is causing me to fray, like a rope that is falling apart, my grief has worn me thin.  My edges are ragged and any little thing can cause my emotions to give way. My soul is

As Christmas gifts in 2001, just months after the US was reeling from the attacks of 9/11, Drake and I made a compilation of instrumental Christmas music to give to friends and family.  We called it “A Peaceful Christmas” and streaming across the front cover were quotes about peace and comfort at a time when

As Jessie is growing in character and personality, it is not unusual for us to note that our Ladybug is becoming my little “mini me”.  Jessie appears to have many qualities that reflect those of her mother; the well worn phrase, “the chickens are coming home to roost,” is certainly true in this case. But

I watched the season finale of the show Survivor last night and one of the women, “Sugar” as they called her, had lost her father 6-7 months prior to the taping of the show.  Throughout the season it was not uncommon to see her crying, sometimes many times a day, for what appeared to be

Last year when Jessie went to visit Santa she started bawling immediately and did everything she could to try and wiggle out of his arms.  By the time I had captured a couple photos, her shoe had fallen off and one might have thought she’d been scarred for a lifetime, never to appreciate another Santa