The author reflects on a poignant moment with her late husband, Bill Olson, who urged her to remarry if he died. Despite the pain of his illness and eventual passing, those words eventually empowered her to find love again. She cherishes their shared memories and honors his influence in her life. Continue reading Nine Words That Changed My Life Forever
Jefferson Starship had it right, “Sara, Sara, no time is a good time for goodbyes…” But Tori, our cat, made the time as ‘good’ as she could. Continue reading Her Death Was a Good One, But We Weren’t Ready to Say Goodbye
The month of October always causes me to pause and remember Bill. This year, I was able to see God’s kindness in the midst of tragedy. Continue reading I Looked Back at Sorrow and Found God’s Kind Surprise
What if you come to the realization that Jesus is the Son of God who came to take away your sins, moments before you die? What then? That’s what he asked me. Continue reading ‘How Can You Suggest Your Brother Went to Heaven?’ He Asked
Scott was small in stature but larger than life. He had a big personality. Big problems — usually self-created. But he was and is my brother. Continue reading Side Effect of Salvation: I Have Comfort in His Loss
I share some tender scenes in my life so that you can know that God offers hope in your darkest hour. If you can’t reach out to Him, ask Him to reach out to you. Continue reading Here’s Why You Can Find Hope in Any Season of Life
And why that changes how I view his death My brother died last Sunday. He had suffered greatly, fought hard, … Continue reading My Brother’s Death Is Not the End of the Story
These past two months, my brother’s death expectancy has been greater than his life expectancy. Continue reading I Shot a Selfie with My Sick Brother
This post is about friends who help us to be the person we’d like to be, told through my experiences with both failure and grace. Continue reading What If You Fail to Be Who You Thought You’d Be?
The eulogy for my mother — but, more important, why the final “shade of death” from Alzheimer’s is joyous for believers in Jesus. Continue reading The Final Shade of Death: She Doesn’t Have Alzheimer’s Anymore!
When you lose someone by Alzheimer’s, you lose her progressively. Both you and the one you love experience shades of death. Continue reading Shades of Death: When You Lose a Loved One to Alzheimer’s Disease
In the midst of losing my oldest sister and mourning her too-early passing, I found joy. One special moment, especially, in the midst of my sorrow made me smile. Continue reading A special moment in the midst of sorrow that made me smile…
She will miss wrinkles and arthritis, her daughters marrying, her grandchildren growing, and getting old with her husband. And we will all miss her. Continue reading As a result of her death, the missing begins
My oldest sister is dying save a miracle. The doctors declared her “terminal.” Her organs are shutting down. She has no hope for recovery. Continue reading When you have to say goodbye to your big sister
Had he lived, he would have celebrated his 50th birthday this year. As of today, he has been dead more days than he’d been alive. Continue reading It’s official: His death was a lifetime ago
Today I think of those who lost their loved ones. Of those who may have survived but will remain haunted by the images of that night, that horror, that loss. Continue reading Terrorism too close to home …
It’s difficult to return to a favorite spot you’d always shared with someone you loved but is gone. But this year we returned to the river — and the missing was good. Continue reading We Returned to the River Without Him and It Hurt So Good
All Things Work Together 