Three practical gifts for a friend at the hospital, plus the one you help God give
We spent the first few days of our son’s life in a frustrating and scary loop of medical interventions. This week we found ourselves in that exact same loop, but the baby was two months older and the threats were bigger. We wound up being admitted through the ER at the children’s hospital in Stanford.…
Holy, Holy, Holy
One year ago, my sweet mom was taken to the hospital with pressure in her brain. We didn’t know it then, but she would never return home. I had been camping for the weekend in a place with no phone service, so discovering my mom’s location as I reentered civilization was distressing to say the…
Jesus of my grief
I am a mother without a mother. That’s something I’ve known since we found out about our baby in October, but it’s a thought that creeps in more and more frequently now that my hospital bag is packed and the car seat has been installed for over a month. I fully expected to feel the…
Good Grief
At the end of May, I wept at my uncle’s funeral. The next day, I held my Nana’s still- warm hand for the last time as I stood beside her hospice bed. We had driven 5 hours to see her, only to arrive 30 minutes after she had passed. My husband was asked to check…
Evergreen
I had put myself in an awkward position. No—literally. Forced to recline at an odd angle because our loveseat’s a bit too small for both me and Calvin to stretch out, my view was the back of a whiteboard Calvin uses for studying. One side listed several meds he needed to memorize for school; the…
Dressing for Delight: How theology can positively influence fun with fashion
My dad read a few book series aloud to me when I was a kid, but my favorite was Anne of Green Gables. I remember when Anne Shirley asked for a dress with puffed sleeves, a part of my little heart jumped up to say, “me too!” I’ve liked clothes for as long as I…
No crying He makes?
The littlest shepherd in the front row tilted his head as his pillowcase head covering fell over his eyes…again. Angels in garland halos sang while a 5 year-old Mary carefully rocked the Jesus doll. It was a chaotic, adorable scene, and the congregation was delighted. I sat on the floor in the front row, trying…
A lifetime’s not too long
I used to think experiencing Jesus took place only in solitude. I had no problem with seeking Him in the early hours of the morning, armed with my coffee and a little notebook and whatever questions I had to ask Him. But whenever it came time to gather with a congregation, for example, I just…
He’s in the boat: On doubting Jesus, cancer, and river rafting
Ten years ago my dad took my sister and I to a little Mexican restaurant on the side of the road to break the news. Mom had been in the hospital a few days. There were tests, and the tests came back; bad news. A lot of that month is a blur for me, but…
Here I Raise my Ebenezer: Reflecting on My Years as a Teacher
Sunlight pours through the window, golden and dusty as I wipe down the board with a stained yellow rag. It’s late afternoon and the cleaning cart is rumbling gently down the hallway. I hope they will be slow and give me my last few moments in this space. The essays are turned in, final remarks…
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Kayley Chartier 