Charlene was in her early seventies when I knew her. While her quick wit and black hair made her seem young, her frailty and poor health made her seem very old. Her world had narrowed to a small house, a small yard, and tottering steps to doctor appointments and the grocery store. I never realized, […]
Loving Our Aging Friends Well Read More »
I hated that Charlene smoked. I viewed her cigarettes as a personal enemy—a fiendish dictator who stole her freedom and her health. Some of the few harsh words I spoke to her were about her smoking addiction. The only time I refused to help her was when she asked me to buy her a pack
Helping a Friend Overcome Addiction Read More »
Charlene, my old-lady Ojibwe friend, changed my life. I also changed hers. Through Charlene, I grew familiar with issues I had never faced before in my small, sheltered world. In trying to help her, I learned from her. In a series of blog posts over the next several weeks, I want to explore, through the
Introducing a Blog Series on Helping a Friend through Difficult Issues Read More »
Turtle Heart, the book I began in 2014 and labored long to bring to fruition, will soon be published. In it, you will read the story of a clueless, idealistic Mennonite girl and a feisty, sharp-witted old Ojibwe lady. In it you will see how my friendship with Charlene helped me grow in understanding God
That’s Why We Have a God Read More »
Yesterday, I rode with Ivan on the golf cart to check his hay fields, and the breeze was balmy and the grass bright green against the billowed sky and the curled pines at the edge of the field promised enchantment. Our child kicked in my uterus and Ivan told me that he loved me, and
God Writes Straight With Crooked Lines Read More »
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