My Covering
You’re 13 years old, and you’re being prepared for marriage, more than likely one arranged between the families. Now you’re pregnant—but not by your fiancé.
You’re 13 years old, and you’re being prepared for marriage, more than likely one arranged between the families. Now you’re pregnant—but not by your fiancé.
To resolute or to not resolute, that is the question! I personally gave up on making New Year’s resolutions several years ago. I rarely was able to complete them and that left me feeling like more of a failure than when I started. I now set goals and, at this age, add things to my bucket list.
I’ll miss his face. It should be at the table. I will miss his childlike excitement as he gives me his Christmas gift and his hands that would have received mine. Oh, how I will miss his laughter that filled the room. My heart physically aches thinking about how he would have made the day special for the grandbabies and his habit of constantly grabbing their ears and rubbing the toes of our newest addition. I miss all these things now, but the finality of the year and this holiday without him leaves a jagged, gaping hole and a deafening silence.
She’s gone. My unanswered prayers along with her. I had wanted something more than titles; I wanted a mother/daughter relationship that connected our hearts.
Over the years, I have experienced God’s provision. Many times I received exactly what I needed at the perfect time, but this year especially is saturated with God’s gentle kindness and attentiveness. Time after time God had already put something in place I had not known to ask for.
What do you think it means to love well? There are many ways to express our heart for others, but I think it boils down to being able to make people feel heard and understood. Not that we have to agree with them entirely, but rather that once we express an interest in them and hear their viewpoints, we can then understand their thought processes on matters.
I remember one summer when a couple of my friends and I took our motocross sons down-hill trail riding on the West Virginia ski slopes. While our sons typically went road riding to maintain/increase their endurance, they were up for the mountain challenge with their physical strength to power them.
I’ve seen so much name calling lately it’s disheartening. It reminds me of my grade-school years and squabbling with my brother or sister. Unable to express myself in an adequate way, I used name calling to “get even” with them. I have since matured into understanding that name calling is a blatant admission of fear.
Prayer is powerful. I felt the immense covering when my husband unexpectedly passed away. Now, 10 months later, I continue to feel a sustaining strength. I have no explanation for this, except that my family and friends still tell me they continue to pray for me. Prayer sustains me.
