One Cracked Vessel

  Lent Day 2: “Tempted” “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Since our kids have gotten older, Alex and I have embarked on adventures. We have attended more concerts than I can count, taken short getaway trips to new places, and generally just had a good time together. I’ve never been very materialistic and don’t need the latest gadget, designer bag, or expensive jewelry. However, I do treasure making memories through experiences. This is something we tried to instill in our kids as they were growing up. We kept our Christmas to three presents (if three gifts were good enough for Jesus they are good enough for you) and we have routinely given circus, concert, and theater tickets in lieu of physical gifts.  As I was looking through old photos today while meditating on the ...

  Lent Day 1-Full “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I haven’t always observed lent in an intentional manner. A few years ago I stumbled upon a photo-a-day Instagram challenge for Lent. Prior to this project, my attempts to observe lent were mostly limited to giving up soda, sugar, or something along those lines. I was probably in my thirties before I seriously thought about observing lent with the practice of “giving up” or “adding” in order to be more mindful about the Easter journey. The year I first gave up soda turned into about two years of not drinking carbonated beverages. But the year I came across the Photo challenge changed how I viewed my practice of lent. It inspired my creativity and made me think about how God was working in my life through all of my experienc...

  On June 19, 1993, Alex and I exchanged simple gold rings bought on lay-a-way from what was a store called Service Merchandise. It seems utterly ridiculous looking back and I feel like everyone who knew us must have thought we had lost our minds. We met in October 1992 at the intramural field at the University of Montevallo. By December 26, 1992 we were officially engaged without an engagement ring and a proposal which was more of a question just brought up in natural conversation at a very romantic date at the Cracker Barrel.  So a few weeks after graduating with my Bachelor's Degree and a month and half before starting to work on my Master's Degree, we exchanged rings and have been together in sickness and health. At this point we have been together longer than the number of years we lived before knowing one another. The journey has been incredible, filled with experiences from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows... just like every other couple out there who have mov...

The grief that comes in waves…  If I take a moment, I can still feel her hand in mine as I sat on a cold pew as she grieved the death of her 92 year old mother. I am not certain of my age but I must have been around 30 at the time. Carey Beaube was a loving daughter to her sometimes cranky but incredible mother Idelle Gilliam. She and her sister Gloria embodied what I will always think of as “the way you honor your elders”. If you haven’t experienced loss or been around those who have experienced loss, it’s easy to adopt an attitude of “well she lived to 92” without acknowledging the great loss the living will feel…. Even if they try to comfort themselves with platitudes. The fact is few people are ever ready to live on this planet with the knowledge that their loved one is no longer physically here with them. And the grief comes in waves.  We lost Carey to the other side of the Veil in June 2008. We lost my mom in January 2016. Alex and I are “motherless” and it feels a ...