Guest post: Madison Hedegard {16} You’d think by now I’d be used to lying on my bed sobbing, asking God, “Why?” It’s a rude awakening for a child, the discovery that the world is not what you thought it was. And my revelations came like a freight train in the middle of a ghost town, […]
July 2009 Two months after being home from the hospital, the medical bills arrived in clumps. Some from Sabal; most for me. I wrote checks for the smaller statements first, leaving two large bills unpaid. We had $27.00 to survive the next couple of weeks. Scooping the piled papers together, the muscles around my neck […]
After all the votes were tallied, here’s what you decided: 1) E: 35 (Headshot cover) 2) B: 28 (Blue cover w/ rushing doctor) 3) C: 16 (Collage of three photos) 4) D: 13 (Clouds, When God Intervenes) 5) A: 10 (Red and yellow cover with doctor) Jason and my sister, Christine, picked the top two (rushing […]
When Sabal’s fingers touched my face, I knew morning had arrived. Through a thick fog and swollen eyes, my body slogged along until I sipped cups of morning coffee. That was me three years ago, in summer of 2010. Depression haunted my soul and felt much like I stood behind a plexiglass wall and couldn’t […]
I want to quit today. Don’t want to write any longer. The manuscript deadline is in 10 days. Distractions surround me: evicting tenants, renovating a trashed rental, setting appointments for potential new renters, and finding time to love on my babies. It’s enough to make me want to pitch everything. Everything. To hit delete and […]
Cacophony popped into my head the other day. Yeah. I didn’t know what the word meant either, and I certainly didn’t know how to spell it. Turns out it means “A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.” I laughed. How perfect is that. I was writing a chapter where I felt something was missing, and this […]
Just like each of us are created with different likes and dislikes—reaching out can look differently from one patient to the next. This is tough. But from personal experience, the following actions brought the greatest joy during the ugliest times in my life. 1) Food. There’s a reason most churches have a meal ministry. When […]
Guest Blogger: Jason HedegardWhat a whirlwind month. I haven’t been so shaken and unbalanced emotionally since my wife’s pulmonary embolism during her stem-cell transplant over 10 years ago. Losing my father at 64 years old has changed my thought process entirely these last few weeks. I feel a strange clock hanging over me now, ticking […]
That’s what I heard while jogging. Err, rather…slogging. I can no longer claim that I jog when my thirteen-year-old walks the pace I run. We stumbled on this discovery last night. I digress. Listening to my FPEA Homeschool conference MP3, I replayed the last few seconds of Mark Hamby’s presentation just to be sure I […]
I’ve been sick a good portion of my life. Nine life-threatening illnesses, sick. Sepsis, renal failure, ARDS…the list continues. Some of these words I never knew existed until I laid comatose in the ICU several years ago. But this tidbit of information, if I had the choice, I’d rather not talk about. Let’s be honest. […]
Recently, I hit one of those downward spirals. From unexpected kitchen renovations due to moldy cabinets, to major plumbing repairs throughout the house. Add in multiple misunderstandings with the hubby, the kids acting like kids and the pressure to keep it altogether with a smile–I finally was pushed too far. One afternoon, I walked to […]
Life is a funny thing. Or maybe not so funny. Today is a day I never want to forget. My favorite oncologist, Dr. McGarry, started chemo this morning. This is difficult for many reasons. First, we were both diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease at a young age (he was 17, I was 25). Second, his re-occurrence of a […]
At the age of nine, I vividly recall mom’s dependency on welfare. She sold our couches, fans and lamps to the landlord in lieu of rent when times were extra lean. Eventually, after one lamp offer too many, the landlord declined, suggesting instead Mom attend his church in exchange for one month of free rent. […]