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stepping out in faith: How does the universe conspire

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Monday, February 16, 2009. How does the universe conspire. I had the joy of 20 plus years in a job where I was required to share my faith in everything I did or said. Now I find myself in a school where I am strongly discouraged from expressing myself from the core of my being. My faith expressions have to be compartmentalized into a cordoned off area of my brain. How do I reword something that begins “I am a precious child of God . . ? I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. I am not a student of the universe.

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stepping out in faith: March 2014

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Sunday, March 9, 2014. Have you ever had an experience best described as herding marbles? Dorris called, yesterday. When she wanders up to the nurses’ station and asks confusing questions, they ask her if she would like to call family. Dorris: Do you have an extra key to my car? Me: You do not drive anymore. Dorris: Then how can I get home? Me: You are home. You have a room with your clothes, a t.v., and your own bathroom. You don’t have a kitchen because people cook for you. Me: Um, i. Dorris usually fi...

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stepping out in faith: Waiting

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Tuesday, June 16, 2015. The nurse made a note in the hospice logbook that Dorris has begun her journey. As we sat with her on Sunday afternoon, I considered this metaphor. A journey implies a “moving toward.” What we are experiencing does. Not feel like a journey. So much as a waiting. We are waiting. We are visiting. We are resting. Dorris is not leaving; God is coming to her. At this point,. Dorris’ communication has reduced to utterances of 2-3 words. Among the last things. Of motion as if she might g...

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stepping out in faith: October 2014

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Saturday, October 18, 2014. Tools of the mind. Before the tower that serves Chicago’s airports could be repaired, I missed a connecting flight and spent the night at O’Hare. I turned down the offer of a discounted hotel, thinking I probably could not afford it. The sad look on my face prompted the United customer service rep to hand me a complimentary personal hygiene bag. What I really needed was food and a blanket. What I had was a bag of tools that were useless in my context. Jeremiah 29:11, ESV).

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stepping out in faith: April 2015

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Thursday, April 9, 2015. Salt of the Earth. 8220;You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 8220;You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others,. Who is in heaven. Certain th...

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stepping out in faith: Awareness

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Sunday, June 7, 2015. Over the last six years,. I have watched Alzheimer’s narrow my mother-in-law’s world. She used to travel with her husband. Then that became too much. Soon after that we had the conversation about no more driving. Now, she walks to the dining room and back to her room. Her current travel is limited to church on Sunday and that takes most of her energy for the week. You live at the Arbors. Your teeth are at the nurse’s station. You need to use your walker. Her world is now very small,...

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stepping out in faith: Watching from the green room

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Saturday, May 23, 2015. Watching from the green room. The big news on T.V. for this week was the final show for David Letterman. I loaded my computer with this clip. Because her heart is slowing down, I usually find Dorris lying on her couch. On this day, I found her eating a sandwich while lying down. I could not convince her of the need to sit up while eating, but she sat up rather quickly when I told her I wanted to show her something about Marx. Why haven't I seen this before? Last week, her sister-i...

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stepping out in faith: August 2014

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Friday, August 15, 2014. Dorris and I are on our way to Seward for a d. Dorris: Why do I feel like I should be telling you to turn here? Kim: Perhaps it is because you gave driving directions to Marx for so many years. Dorris: Oh, dear, did I ove r-. Kim: Um, he is dead, but not because of your directions. 8221; The school year had not even started; it is not likely I had broken any rules, yet. I never feel like I am enough. This is where I typically find myself when I wallow in my depression. It means e...

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stepping out in faith: January 2015

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Sunday, January 18, 2015. I drove Dorris home after church today. We took the usual route,. And she asked the usual questions about where we were and where she lived. Dorris: Why don’t I recognize where we are? Did I hit my head? Kim: No, you did not hit your head. You have Alzheimer’s. Dorris: I don’t like that word “Alzheimer’s.” It is often bandied. About and used where it doesn’t belong. Now I guess I will have to accept that it belongs to. We were unusually quiet. The rest of the drive. Dementia tak...

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stepping out in faith: June 2015

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Monday, June 22, 2015. Thank you, God, for those who give care to the elderly. Our world worships power and money. People who work in politics and those who tend to financial matters have jobs that earn them respect and high salaries. The workers we pay the least. And seemingly dismiss, are those who care for our children, for our disabled and. Our elderly. In these jobs, the pay is low,. The world gives a strong message about what is important,. But the world has it wrong. And no caregiver wants. Nothin...