Life Lessons
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Lauren’s Story
“Mom!” my daughter exclaimed, “Lauren has cancer”. For a split second I thought I had heard wrong, but the look on my daughter’s face told me otherwise. “What do you mean cancer? She’s only sixteen and she looks perfectly healthy!” I rushed to call her mom who confirmed the bad news: Lauren had been diagnosed with Lymphoma. “It’s highly curable” she explained, “but it will be a tough season for our family. Only God can give us the strength and wisdom we desperately need to survive this nightmare.” Prayer chains erupted throughout town. Their school set up a fund to help with medical costs and tuition. While her parents were overwhelmed…
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The Day Freedom Came
“I can’t believe I still have a curfew!” I ranted as my younger sisters watched in silence. “I can’t wait to go to college so I can be free! And you know what I’ll do? I’ll watch TV till midnight, I’ll eat pizza and coke for breakfast, and I’ll even skip classes if I want to!” Leaving home for college is nearly every teenager’s dream. Attending university looks like the door that leads to freedom. But for me, leaving home was not what I expected it to be. My mom and I found my freshman dorm and I ran up the stairs to look for my new room- my ticket…
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The Day I left Home to come Home
“Sit back, relax and enjoy your flight,” the captain announced. My husband and I held hands and said a quiet prayer. Tears flowing down our faces spoke what our mouths couldn’t express. I closed my eyes and tried to obey the captain. The plane took off, leaving behind not only our country, but a piece of my heart as well. It seemed like yesterday when my husband surprised me with the news: “Honey, I just got an offer to work in the United States. It’s a private practice in Athens, Georgia, a college town near Atlanta.” “What?” I cried “But we don’t know anyone there, and our whole family’s here!”…
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The Red Door
I walked through the glass doors into the cosmetics department, where the elegant sales ladies holding perfume bottles lined the way. Closing time was twenty minutes away. I had no time to waste, so I walked hurriedly, avoiding any eye contact. “Would you like a sample?” A hand came out of nowhere and placed a piece of white paper in my hand. “Let me know what you think. It’s on sale this weekend.” I smiled at the sales lady, thanked her graciously, and looked around for a trash can. My nose caught a whiff of the fragrance as I was about to throw it away. Suddenly I was transported back…
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The Day I (Almost) Ruined our Vacation
“Let’s go mom, everybody’s waiting in the car!” My daughter tugged on my shorts and pointed to the garage as I checked the white straw bag. “I’m coming honey! I don’t want to forget anything. I just have to check the doors and windows to make sure they’re locked.” I squeezed on to the passenger seat and searched for a place to fit my cargo. Toys, towels, sunscreen lotion and goggles fought for a place in the bag, imitating the children in the back seat. “Relax, honey, you’re too stressed” my husband smiled and stroked the back of my head. “We’re not moving there. You don’t have to pack the…
