Author: nowwhat

A lesson in trust when life falls apart. by Ann Vande Zande   My son and I play a game in which we pick a color, then list everything we can think of in that hue. It’s surprising what we’ve uncovered. Like spring, for instance. In April our harsh Minnesota winter retreats, and lush growth…

Seeking release from a prison of pain. by Morgan Hahn as told to Penny Smith   I studied the return address on the letter, then turned to my wife, Mary. She clasped my hand as I pulled her onto the sofa beside me. We had been married less than five months, yet she seemed to…

Packing up a loved one’s earthly belongingscan teach us what’s really valuable. by Brenda Sprayue   When my husband, Brian, and I were first married, we lived around the corner from his grandparents. These were no ordinary grandparents. As a boy, Brian ran to them every time his mother, who suffered chronic ailments caused by…

by Alice Swope   The silence in the room was eerie, the stillness unreal. I stabbed at the fried egg, angled my fork to my mouth, and dropped it with a clatter onto my plate before automatically raising my head to listen. I heard nothing – just an oppressive stillness. I picked up the fork…

by Karen Cleeton   January 27, 1978. A normal day at my nurse’s job; no hint of calamity. Separated from my first husband at the time, I had left my 22-month-old son, David, with my sister-in-law, Evelyn, that morning. But when I left work to pick up David later in the day, my whole life…

How to find out there’s life after loss. by Lonna Enox   Moving ahead after any great loss requires a plan. You must find new dreams, look at new options, and paint a new picture on your life’s “canvas.” But just as we are all individuals, the steps as well as the length of time…

Learning to trust God again. by Karen Foster   “Lord, why did You let me get pregnant? You knew my baby would die within me. What can I learn from this miscarriage that I haven’t learned from the others?” Grief overwhelmed me knowing I would never hold this baby, but the tears wouldn’t come. I…

by Virginia A. Johnson   “Ten, nine, eight . . . ,” recited the dispassionate voice. What’s ahead for me? Could all this be a mistake? What if the baby . . . the baby. . . . The questions screamed inside me. My frightened thoughts tried to hold on to something safe, trusting, and…

The do’s and don’ts of helping the hurting. by Virginia Jelinek   “I looked for . . . comforters, but I found none” (Psalm 69:20). The day my husband, John, and I traveled homeward from a trip, our car lost traction on a slippery road. We were hit by an oncoming van. My life forever…