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The Gift of Our True Father
Today, I welcome Jennifer Elwood as my first guest blogger! Her message rings true, especially as we enter the season of celebration of the Greatest Gift ever given – Jesus. How are you doing? I mean, really, how are you doing? Honestly, I’m struggling emotionally. I’m tired of staying away from large gatherings and with Christmas on its way, I’m having difficulty processing that. If Santa braves the pandemic, he’ll be sending candy canes through a 6-foot shoot. Many of the traditions we hold dear involve gathering in large groups with children shrieking in delight and racing from one room to another, giving the adults time to engage in meaningful conversation.…
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Seen and Heard
Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong. Mandy Hale Worthy Hearing the words “Father God” prayed by my friend Karie quite literally changed my life. It was as if someone flipped a light switch on and illuminated a new path for me. Before that, I lived in a spiral of fears — of abandonment, of being unlovable, of shame, of unworthiness — most of my life. Looking back, I can see I sometimes hurt others before they had the opportunity to hurt me. I left before they left, and I stopped loving before they stopped loving because, eventually, everyone…
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Just a Little Bit of Faith
Newlyweds While living in Albuquerque, NM, David and I weren’t going to church, I wasn’t reading my Bible, we didn’t fit the profile of Christians. However, I remember praying in the shower many times for David to come home safely from wherever the Air Force sent him. I’m sure my prayers were like letters to Santa with more requests than gratitude or praise, but I was thankful that there was Someone looking out for David when he was away from me. Our life from November 1997 to July 2000 saw us through some ups and downs. David was often away, and I didn’t have any friends. I bounced through a…
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Married Too Young
As I mentioned in a previous post, I endured rocky relationships as a teen. I think I stayed in those relationships because it was better than being alone; a bad relationship was better than no relationship. By mid-November 1991, my relationship had become more abusive, and I suspected that my boyfriend was cheating on me. When he broke up with me just before my birthday, I was broken in heart, mind, and spirit. Moving On A couple of weeks later, I met someone. Five years older than me, “Dan” seemed more mature than the guys I knew. His quick smile and easy laughter were in stark contrast to the dark and…
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Squeezed
The Squeeze Begins I entered the Sandwich Generation with a gentle squeeze in the spring of 2016. My seventy-nine-year-old mother began to make poor decisions about how to take care of things for herself and her health began to decline. I talked to her about moving to an independent living facility and took her to tour a couple of them. She insisted she didn’t need to move because she was fine. If she determined that she couldn’t live on her own, she would move in with my brother “Bubba” or he’d move in with her. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the best health, and I didn’t believe it was a good plan for…
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Misdirected
I knew of God… Growing up, we didn’t talk about God or Jesus very much. We observed Christmas and Easter, but I don’t recall anyone ever sharing the importance of those two events. Christmas was about Santa and gifts; Easter was about the Easter Bunny and egg hunts. We attended a Baptist church infrequently. When religion came up at home, my Nanna focused more on me going to hell if I wasn’t baptized, and, at twelve-years-old, I didn’t want to be baptized until I understood what it meant and why I should do it. I said as much to Nanna one day, and, instead of trying to explain it to…
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Words Wound and Scar
Sticks and stones may break my bones,But words shall never hurt me. Children’s Rhyme Words shall never hurt me is a myth; words do hurt and cause scars that no one can see. Mistake… my mother got pregnant outside of marriage. Accident… my mother didn’t intend to have any more children, especially not fourteen years after her third child was born, not as a single woman in the seventies. B*stard… “an illegitimate child”; illegitimate: “not recognized as lawful offspring; specifically: born of parents not married to each other.” (Merriam-Webster) Mistake… accident… b*stard… I used those words to describe myself in eighth grade. That’s when I learned that last definition, and…
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What is “Sandwich Generation”?
I admit, I don’t really care for labels; I had too many unkind labels thrust upon me as I grew up, and, later, I placed shameful labels on myself. I first heard the label “Sandwich Generation” in December 2019. Talking to a friend on the phone, she said I was part of the “sandwich generation.” I thought I heard her wrong and asked, “What does that even mean?” She explained that it means I am part of the generation that is still raising my children but also taking care of a parent. Makes sense, right? I’m in the middle of two generations that need me. Curious, I wondered if my…
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Are you a “fatherless” daughter?
Dear Sister, Welcome! I invite you to come in and stay awhile. During our time together, I want to introduce you to my Father. He gave me life, and, although I can’t see Him, I see evidence of Him; He walks alongside me every moment of every day. I didn’t grow up knowing Him, though I caught glimpses of Him from time to time. Helpful things to know about me as we begin this journey: My mother was the “other” woman, and my biological father completely abandoned me when I was four-years-old. I don’t remember ever seeing him, but a few photographs exist to prove he visited me a time…
