From June 2000 through September 2005, my husband, kids, and I lived in beautiful, hilly Southern Indiana. We lived on 6 acres of what I called “my little piece of heaven on earth.” One day, my father-in-law and I walked the 6-acre property. “That is a noxious weed,” he said, pointing to what I had…
Author: Dara
January 6, 2022
January 6 is a day forever etched in my mind. And this is why… December 21, 2021, the doctor said Dad only had weeks to live, so we high-tailed it to Illinois. Shane and I had been there early December, but we headed back December 23rd. Shane went back home the day after Christmas, but…
A New Box of Crayons
I am never filled with more hope than at the beginning of a new year. I sit with 2025 memories as I scan the horizon of 2026. I pull out paper and pen, and begin my list. Things I want to do. To learn. To read. To cook. To finish. A sense of familiarity overtakes…
God’s Love Series – Day 33 – Happy Ending
I love a happy ending. I won’t watch a movie or read a book if I am aware the story does not end happily. I will endure some hard times along the way, but in the end, I want happy. Maybe I am naive or possibly in denial, but there is enough drama in real…
God’s Love Series – Day 32 – It Seems Too Good To Be True
“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it…
God’s Love Series – Day 31 – Dancing to the Beat of a Different Drum
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on…
God’s Love Series: Day 30 – I Broke Up With Religion
I broke up with religion. Religion has done me wrong. Disappointed me at every turn. Lied to me about God. Wrongly defined who I am. The definition of religion can vary, depending on the source. Everyone defines religion from their knowledge and personal experience. The definitions intersect occasionally, but overall, it’s a mixed bag. I…
God’s Love Series – Day 29 – It’s Time to Live the Free Life
I read something funny on the Internet and was snickering. In my spirit, I heard the Lord ask, “When your kids were little, what’s the thing you most wanted to see them doing?” “Laughing,” I answered, without missing a beat. When my kids were babies, toddlers, teens, and yes, even today, there is nothing better than…
God’s Love Series – Day 28 – No Separation
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38, 39 (NKJV) Paul is writing…
God’s Love Series – Day 27 – Handprints
When Graeson, my first-born grandson was two years old, he had spent the day at our house. After his parents took him home, my husband pointed to the wall and said, “Graeson’s handprint.” Sure enough. There on the wall, his tiny handprint waved at us. He sometimes left his mark on the curio cabinet, the…