Home & Family

Personal Experience

A Child Shall Lead Them "Sad and angry at the situation, I desperately wanted to be home with my family. Instead of inhaling the sweet scent of my new baby girl, I breathed in the antiseptic air of the dialysis center. I stared at the machine that would soon be a part of Ryan's nursery."

Choosing to Love "In my perfectionist thinking, since I didn't love Larry all the time, I couldn't say I loved him at all."

Finding God After Failure "In 1976 Prozac was not a drug of choice. Certainly, depression wasn't widely studied and discussed in my circles. I spiraled downward with each tear shed. I had no desire to get up, to dress, to eat, to live. Thick sadness enveloped me."

Frog in a Pot "In time I began to see myself as overweight, simple-minded, and unattractive. The walls I built to protect myself from Ernie's constant nitpicking and scolding were not thick enough to shield me from his vicious verbal attacks."

He is Our Peace "Being more advanced spiritually, we understood Jesus to be a more highly evolved being who had tried to show us that we are all divine. When Jesus said, "I and the Father are one," He was actually trying to show us that we are all God. Tripp and I wanted more than anything to achieve our divine potential."

How Autism Changed My Life "When I was forced to contend for my son's health services, I felt tempted to comply with government agencies. They were offering only limited services and weren't providing what Chad needed. It was hard for me to stand up to them, yet I believed God told me to stand firm."

Identity Theft "As a single mom, I faced many trials and tears and fell short many times. Fatigue, loneliness, and a shortage of funds drained me. My checkbook took a beating. Often I cried, 'I can't do this. I am just too tired!' My sons, at six and ten, didn't understand the full implication of no dad in the house."

Lessons from Shela "While [other women] agonized over vacation choices, I considered affordable getaways that accommodated wheelchairs. And while minor childhood disturbances caused great worry for them, I grieved for a child whose next sickness could take her life and for the fears I couldn't voice. Thoughts of the road ahead crowded out the importance of the mundane except as it added to the gift of today."

Love Big Enough to Share "I couldn't sleep that night or the next. My heart's floodgates opened wide, and I ached with loss equal to that of my mother's death. I cried and could not stop. Was I going to lose my relationship with Kris? Would she adore her birth mother, abandoning me and our family?"

Married to an Older Man "Although James is a handsome, distinguished-looking man, without even reading his profile, I figured he probably wouldn't be interested in me. Why? His birth date was fourteen years before mine."

My Little Extra "Having a child with Down syndrome has helped me see there's infinitely more to life than intelligence, beauty, and 'perfection.'"

New Grace "I feared that if I got too close to people at church, they would want to know why I wasn't with my husband anymore. So I kept my distance to avoid any condemnation. It was bad enough that I was so disappointed in myself; I didn't want to see their disappointment too. I was a self-appointed second-class Christian."

Ready or Not "For days we walked around in a semi-fog, acknowledging each other with a helpless nod or a weak smile. Both understood the other's need for something, but neither of us quite knew what that something was. Finally, my husband said, 'It's so quiet around here,' and I acknowledged that it was. Deadly quiet."

A Slow Surrender "Now I found myself in an emotional battle. Katie was mine, I told myself. After all, I raised her. I consoled my selfish reasoning with The birth mother gave up her rights."

Tonya's Cup "Her fear of water turned every bath into a nightmare. At the sight of the partly filled tub, Tonya stiffened her already rigid body, sloshing sudsy water everywhere. No amount of soothing quieted her hysterical screaming until she was dried off and removed from the bathroom."

Articles

Blended Families: Handle With Care Saying "I do" a second time isn't as easy as it seems -- especially when two sets of children combine into one. Based on her own experience, Maxine Marsolini offers solid counsel to those in society's most difficult family formation.

Dreams That Grow Bigger After They're Broken Does God understand when a woman wants a child, but can't conceive? What happened when one biblical mother cried out to God in her childlessness.

Falling Back in Love If the storms in your marriage go from bad to worse, smoother sailing can be just ahead if you understand these concepts.

Help for Dysfunctional Families What we teach our children about God affects not only families but also society.

Homeschooling: Getting Started An "old original" continues a strong comeback.

Look Before You Leap Are you considering marriage one day? How well do you know the person you're attracted to? If you think you have all the answers to your romantic relationship and spending the rest of your lives together, think again.

The Pain After Reunion Many adoptees have joined the search movement to find their birth parents, and many have been surprised at the emotional roller coaster they've ridden. How can adoptees cope with what usually turns out to be another rejection?

The Tender Place in Childless Families Some in our society look down on husbands and wives who don't have children. But is childlessness wrong? Here is advice on how you can show sensitivity to childless couples.

What to Do When the Nest is Empty The most natural part of life -- children leaving home to live on their own and make their own way -- can be the toughest for parents. Sharlene MacLaren offers tips on how moms and dads can survive.