Buried Hopes

[caption id="attachment_953" align="aligncenter" width="614"] Photo Credit: Lawrence OP via Compfight cc [/caption] We live in a finite world where everything is dying, shedding its strength. This is hard to accept, and all our lives we look for exceptions to it. We look for something strong, undying, infinite. Religions tells us that something is God. Great, we say, we'll attach ourselves to this strong God. Then this God comes along and says, "Even I suffer. Even I participate in the finiteness of this world." Thus Clare and Francis' image of God was not an "alimighty" and strong God, but in fact a poor vulnerable, and humble one like Jesus. This is at the heart at the Biblical and Franciscan worldview. The enfleshment and suffering of Jesus is saying that God is not apart from the trials of humanity. God is not aloof. God is not a mere spectator. God is not merely tolerating or even healing all human suffering. Rather, God...

... For we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, as you also join in helping us by your prayers , so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 Three weeks ago, we got this: Yesterday, we found out that our baby does not have a heartbeat. Our hearts have been crushed to a million pieces, and the pain feels unbearable. And so I'm writing this to ask for prayer. Prayer unites us with the comfort of Jesus, the one well acquainted with grief, giving way to peace.  Peace for ourselves, and peace for others. But it's something we can not do alone. I do not understand why prayer did not make my baby live. But I do know that wh...

I love reading about dogs that steal their owners heart. Tom and I look forward every day to the latest #theoandbeau installment on instagram (go look, but be forewarned that you may die from the cuteness), and I loved reading Kristen Howerton's post about her family's new dog, and how this little girl is making her a dog person. I realize that dogs are not children, but I love watching people who already have kids get a dog and discover that these faithful companions are way more awesome than they thought. Gracie will get her own post in the future, and it is no secret to anyone that Gracie is my baby girl, my heart. I didn't want a second dog, and Tom had to beg me to get Riley. But this boy steals my heart anew every single day, and I can't imagine the last seven years without him. This little guy follows me around everywhere I go. Going to the bathroom? Ok, mama, I'll come with you. Doing some laundry? Ok, mama, I'll bumble along behind you. Going upstairs...

Welcome to the new blog! I realized last month that I do remarkably better when I am attempting to blog regularly. I'm able to take all the pain and thoughts and questions I keep bottled up and create something from them, something that makes more sense than it does when it's left to rot inside of me. After discussing this with Tom, he suggested renaming my blog and moving it over to Wordpress. I was a little tired of the old site, so I figured this would be a good project for me. It was difficult to think of a name, but I knew that if anyone could help me, it was Anne Shirley. So I scoured my worn copy of Anne of Green Gables for quotes (actually, I looked on Goodreads, but scouring my worn copy sounds better), and came up with this title, Buried Hopes. It comes from one of Anne's many dramatic speeches in which her life feels full of disappointments. "My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes," she declares. If you have read the books or seen the movies (if...