Author: Holly Hawes Not to sound pessimistic as we embark on a new year, but I have had a revelation; most of my years have been marked with failure. I’m not forgetting that joy has been there too, dashes of laughter and periods of growth have all been present in my life. However, I have…
Tag: Faith
Ready or Not
Author: Chara Donahue I was in labor. All day I had paced my new apartment as dear friends helped me unpack boxes and deck the walls with pictures and trinkets. They inquired about where to put things as I kept track of the protracted pains separated by mere minutes. We had just moved to accommodate…
Hope for the Nativity Set
Author: Holly Hawes Shiny lights and glittery things are spilling out of windows around the world as we prepare for Christmas. Even the stingiest of Christmas decor purists have begun to decorate. Others, like me, are turning up the Christmas music with a triumphant cheer because NO ONE can tell us any longer that it…
When Holiday Expectations Go Unfulfilled
Author: Sarah Dohman I was born the day after Christmas. In fact, I was born at 2-something in the wee hours of the morning. Had I come any sooner, I would have been a Christmas baby. Every year growing up, and well into my 20s, my family would sort of roll the celebrations into one…
Hope for the Anxious Heart
Author: Chara Donahue Last year my four year-old came running at me as I laid reading, and she jumped with reckless abandon onto my back. Normally, this would have been benign, but this time her elbow struck the tissue sandwiched between two of my vertebrae. The result of which was nerve damage the doctor said…
Hope at Camp
Author: Chara Donahue This past weekend, I got away from my little city and drove through even smaller towns to reach the wilderness and find camp. I retreated into the forest shade to find quiet that soothed my mind from the intensity of creating summer fun for four young children. As I prayed and prepared…
Hope in Nursing School
Author: Krissa Dorfner Balancing the roles of wife, mother, student, employee, friend, family member and church member has been the most challenging thing I have ever done. The last three years have been far from easy, and yet, have also been the most rewarding in many ways; rewarding because God was ever present in my…
Hope on Mother’s Day
Author: Chara Donahue It was 12:30 AM Mother’s Day 2005, our first as husband and wife, and we were in the ER. I was bleeding; I was pregnant, but they were telling me I wouldn’t be for much longer. There was no heartbeat. I stared at the wall, and my husband prayed. It felt like…
Hope in the Temporary Home
Author: Holly Hawes Have you ever lived somewhere that you knew would be temporary? The 3-month or yearlong in-between place? It’s interesting, when I know a place is going to be temporary, I just kind of find myself in angst the entire time. No reason to put things on the walls. I might leave half…
Anchored Voices 