Written: October 25, 2016 Today is like any other day, as I woke up, went to work, exercised (doesn’t happen every day), and tried to do something constructive in the evening. Yet, today is unique for one reason alone — it will be the last time I can say, when someone asks about my husband’s … More The 11th month…
Written: Oct. 24, 2016 Once again, God allowed a grief moment to be enveloped in a joy moment. It’s really been amazing how many times the joy of new babies coming into this world have surrounded the loss of Raouf in this past year. Even just the day before he passed away, we were greeted … More The Sting is Gone
Written: October 15, 2016 Do you remember the story of when Mary was crying by the tomb, and she didn’t recognize Jesus, until he called her by name? (John 20:10-18…just in case). Last night, when Nermin was reading to me from Raouf’s journal, something struck me — He wrote down the names of every person … More Called by Name
Written: Oct. 15, 2016 It is amazing what can be in your house that you never notice…Raouf had laminated a small piece of paper and stuck it in the frame of his seminary diploma. Trust me, I have never paid any attention to it. It is written in his “not very illegible” Arabic handwriting. This … More The Note
Written: Oct. 8, 2016 I had lunch today with my friend, Vicky, who has also lost her dear husband this year. We understand each other and can talk honestly about our feelings. She gave me some of her husband’s sermons to pass on to Pastor Maged, but I had to sneak a peak first, because … More A Colorful Testimony
Written: October 3, 2016 When you lose a loved one, there is a weird phenomena of time that happens. It’s been 10 months since Raouf left, and on Friday, my dear friend, Kalyn Catlett called me as I was leaving work and asked me what I was doing for dinner. I told her I was … More No One to Call
Written: August 21, 2016 For the past two nights I have been able to listen to the testimony of a man who took a risk to think for himself and compare what he knew about his own religion to the person of Christ and the Bible. In a country where even questioning your faith is … More The Testimony
Written: July 31, 2016 Perhaps some of you remember a movie called, “Three weddings and a funeral”; well, for me this weekend could be entitled: THREE FUNERALS AND A BAPTISM. My youngest son graciously agreed once again to accompany his mother on a difficult journey, as we traveled first to Alabama and then Mississippi to … More Three Funerals and a Baptism
Written: July 27, 2016 I lift up my eyes to the hills–where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip–he who watches over you will not slumber…(Ps. 121) What a day this has been: I started it thinking about … More Leaving the Door Open
Written: June 19, 2016 Though I know I’m not the only one missing my dad this Father’s Day, I realized only just yesterday that on this particular Father’s Day both my boys and myself would both be experiencing the first Father’s Day without our father. Wow, that came as a shock. While I’ve enjoyed 52 … More Missing Fathers