She would often tap-tap-tap on the back screen door of the Bell Mission House built by my husband’s grandparents, where our family typically stayed. The first thing most people notice about Comère is she’s blind. Comère walked more than 5 miles from her home in Bahoncy beyond Fontaine in the northern mountains of Haiti. She would bring one of her ... [Keep Reading...]
social justice
Unexpected friendship in a cup of cold water
The sun blazed and dust swirled. Sweat dripped in every crevice of my body. My belly swelled announcing my third baby, expected to appear sometime that winter. My unexpected assignment that summer: to help start a jewelry business employing women in the mountains of Haiti. I arrived in Haiti, excited and nervous. I knew I had to start by ... [Keep Reading...]
International Widows Day: Why reaching out a hand can make all the difference
I attended a writer's conference a few months ago and met a pastor from another state. We chatted for about 15 minutes, and I briefly shared my story of being widowed in 2014. I could see he was filled with great compassion. He asked me how he could support my work sharing about grief and imparting courage to widows. We exchanged contact ... [Keep Reading...]
10 Inspiring Books I Read in 2017
At the start of 2017, one of the goals I set out for myself was to read. Don’t get me wrong: I read all the time, but my goal was to intentionally read books. This goal was about quality reading not quantity. I found in this fast-paced, social media-driven world that I was too-often reading lines and posts and headlines, but seldom reading ... [Keep Reading...]
Book Review: Daring to Hope
I still remember reading Katie’s Davis’ first book Kisses From Katie. I was sitting under a mosquito net in the stifling heat of a Haiti summer. My husband and I were operating a non-profit at the time. We had three daughters chasing each other through the mission house and a host of Haitian children playing in the yard. Reading about Katie’s life ... [Keep Reading...]
Making space for lament when national tragedy strikes
A few weeks ago I drove up the mountains to pick up my oldest daughter from 6th grade camp. The highway began to bend and wind into the woods. The sight of the forest took my breath away. I was stunned by the devastation and destruction left by the forest fires in that area. A grove of trees that just a year ago boasted a vibrant, red-green-gold ... [Keep Reading...]
