I finally gave blood for the first time. When Avery was in the hospital for four days, he received several transfusions because his blood counts were extremely low. I was so grateful when he improved that I thought I ought to give blood to help someone else. When he went back to the hospital, he received several more transfusions. After he went to be with Jesus, I...

The Bible tells us to weep with those who weep. It’s a bit easier to do that when you have already suffered the loss that causes the weeping. I broke down today reading the account of the Rijnharts, a missionary family in Tibet in the 1890s. Charlie Rijnhart was born while his parents were running a medical mission there. He died fourteen months later from an...

After we lost our first daughter, Melody, I found a local GriefShare class in Tennessee. I thought it would be good for us. But mostly I thought it would be good for Audra. I wanted to help her “get over” the deep, deep pain of losing a child. I wanted us to move on. They were kind to us. But it was mostly widows and widowers. One couple joined after...

Yeah, I thought that title would get you to read this… Yesterday Audra and I were in the baby aisle at Walgreens when a young woman stopped in front of the pregnancy tests. She looked like a college student. I didn’t stare to see if she had a wedding ring, but she seemed a bit reluctant to get a test. I wish I could have heard her story. I know she has...

This week the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in two cases related to Federal recognition of marriage between two people of the same gender. It seems likely that a majority of Justices will vote in favor of changing the current status quo, which consists of the tenuous Federal DOMA law (Defense of Marriage Act) and a patchwork of state laws...

Henry and I have been reading the Landmark history books. They are good. Writing for children forces an author to be more careful with words. Books for adults often have a lot of fluff in them. Our first was about the history of Australia, followed by the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable. Now we are reading a biography of Florence Nightingale....