Today there were some really great insights the author, Jen Hatmaker, made in chapter 1 of her book A Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study. On page 16, "God never intended for His Word to be tidy, hands-off package with crisp edges and a wealth of mysteries that we set aside until Sunday morning." And on page 14, "The insights of the Bible are not reserved for pastors, their wives, and Billy Graham." Psalm 119:130 NIV "The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the … [Read more...]
A new journey for me…
Wow, it's hard to believe that the last time I wrote on here was on April 18 of this year. I think most of you know that when it comes to writing on Mari's dedication site I've always only posted things when I felt led to it. I don't want to be untrue to what I created this site for, although it's continue to evolve from when I first created it. I no longer need to write on it on an almost daily basis, sometimes more than once in a day. This site helped with the healing process of … [Read more...]
Seeing the Gift
Wow, it's hard to believe that Mari's book is done. I entered the last of the edits to part 2 and sent it off to my editor (my dear sweet friend Deirdre). This day has been almost six years in the making. A week from tonight I will be on a plane heading toward Chicago as I go visit family. But even bigger than this is the reason I'm heading out that way to begin with. ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) is having their annual writing conference September 25-27 in St. Louis, MO. I'm … [Read more...]
W is for Water #atozchallenge
Mari and water, a dynamic combination. Mari loved being in, playing in, basically anything to do with in the water. From the time Mari was a baby, she loved to go swimming. My husband's family was always amazed that I could put her in the swimming pool and she had the time of her life. She didn't mind if the water got in her face. She just giggled and had a blast. As most of you know I've been writing a book about what happened with our little girl. In the book there is a dedication section … [Read more...]
T is for Time #atozchallenge
Time, is there really ever enough of it? No, not really. How many times have you heard someone say they wish they just had two or three more hours in a day to do something? I've heard it many times throughout my lifetime. It's probably been like this since the beginning. However, no matter how much we would wish it to be true, we will always have just twenty-four hours in a day. The thing is even if we did have those two or three more hours in a day those wouldn't seem enough either. We'd … [Read more...]
K is for Kiss
Mari's kisses were special. She wasn't one to just give them freely. When she did, it meant more than most because of the significance of her comprehending what a kiss was: a form of endearment. She could communicate her feelings or emotions like so many of us can today. Her autism simply didn't allow it. However, over time she slowly came out of her shell. No, not like a typical person, but different than she once was. I loved giving her a kiss goodbye or a kiss good night when we were tucking … [Read more...]
E is for Energy
If we could have somehow found a way to bottle up Mari's energy I think it could have powered a small city. She never seemed to wear out. She rarely took a nap. Kids with autism, it's like their minds have a hard time shutting down. This is why you hear of so many who sleep two, three, maybe four hours every night. While the average person wouldn't be able to function on a regular basis this way, those with autism, their minds work differently than ours. It's like they can't ever let the minds … [Read more...]
A is for Adorable
What better word could describe my precious little girl than the word adorable (well, I'm sure I could find several :) )? Mari had this way about her. She'd be watching one of her favorite show whether it was Dora or the movie "Cars" where she be in front of the TV dancing around or flapping her arms in excitement at whatever was being played out before her. She'd be sitting in her high chair eat whatever meal it was at the time and all of a sudden she just start to giggle out of no where. … [Read more...]
Been a little absent
I'm sure those of you who have been following me here have noticed I went silent over the month of December. Most might think it was because of the holidays and in particularly Christmas. The thing is, I was looking forward to Christmas; however, Mari's birthday was December 29 and she would have turned fourteen. Man, fourteen years have come and gone since I gave birth to my precious little girl. Fourteen years. I still remember how difficult my pregnancy had been. How giving birth to her had … [Read more...]
Dedicating this to My Daughter in Heaven
I think most people who visit this site and read what I write know that this site was started as a dedication website in honor of my daughter who left this earth for heaven on July 16, 2008. I've been so blessed as a result of this decision. When I go to write something for on here, it almost always ends up being about my daughter somehow, the tragedy, or how I've been doing along the way. I've been very open about my journey over the past five years. I want to be true to who I am and that … [Read more...]
