Our next home visit in Harlan County, KY, was to a family of six children in Harlan. Harlan is much bigger than Loyall, the County seat, but still full of scattered hills and various types of home. There is still little economy here. When we arrived, a little boy about three years old answered theContinue reading “A lesson in love: a grandmother’s sacrifice for her family”
Author Archives: JourneyToJireh
From ashes to renewal: meeting Kelly and Junior
One of the key parts of Mission Trips to Harlan County, Kentucky, are home visits. After picking up some bags of food and toys for various families, the group splits up into cars to deliver the goods to the immobile and those who cannot make it to the big giveaway. The home visits in HarlanContinue reading “From ashes to renewal: meeting Kelly and Junior”
A trip to Appalachia: Serving in Harlan County, Kentucky
Harlan County, Kentucky, is unlike where I live. Just five hours north of this unique area where I call home, neighborhoods and apartment complexes fill nearly any open land, and restaurants and businesses consume the rest. Interstates are filled with cars as people make their morning commute to jobs that range from manufacturing to finance,Continue reading “A trip to Appalachia: Serving in Harlan County, Kentucky”
Prepare the Way of the Lord
Prepare the way of the Lord. That is the theme of today’s daily readings and Advent itself. In Advent, we prepare for the birth of the Son, Jesus, as well as for the second coming of Christ. Be ready, stay attentive, prepare – for we know not the hour in which He is coming. AsContinue reading “Prepare the Way of the Lord”
Suffering for Sacrifice
Have you ever felt the desire to suffer in place of another? To ask the Lord to inflict pain on you rather than a loved one? If you haven’t been in that position, it may be hard to imagine why someone would want to suffer. But when you look at the greater picture – lovedContinue reading “Suffering for Sacrifice”
A Thanksgiving Miracle
On a day already meant for counting our blessings, I praise God a little more. Nine years ago, on Thanksgiving Day, we took my mom to the hospital due to excruciating migraines and blurry vision and learned a few hours later that she had a brain tumor the size of the baseball. Despite the terribleContinue reading “A Thanksgiving Miracle”
You Are Worthy of It All
Tonight, in Mass, I listened to our musicians sing “Worthy of It All” and comprehended the words for perhaps the first time. You are worthy of it all,you are worthy of it all,For from you are all things,And to you are all things,You deserve the glory. As I prayed over those lyrics and lifted myContinue reading “You Are Worthy of It All”
The fifth stage of grief: acceptance
Baby girl, Your birthday came and passed, and no one noticed. The world didn’t stop moving around me. Life went on. But my world hasn’t stopped standing still since you left. I haven’t been able to move on. There hasn’t been a single day I haven’t thought of you. Your laughs echo in my head.Continue reading “The fifth stage of grief: acceptance”
Replacing lack with light
I haven’t been writing lately. Why? I haven’t found room. My brain is on overdrive. I am exhausted. I am out of ideas. Every bit of my mind is being used up by my ADHD and anxiety that never let my brain rest. It is constantly on overdrive. What my brain needs is rest. IContinue reading “Replacing lack with light”
A dose of perspective
It’s like I can’t find air. That’s a phrase I spoke last week. Life has had its share of changes and curveballs this year and it’s admittedly weighed on me. Later that same week, You don’t have to go far to find perspective, and I needed a dose of it. Amazingly, each of these actsContinue reading “A dose of perspective”
12 things I wish I knew at the beginning of my career
October marks my tenth year in the AEC industry. If you had told this marketing gal out of college that she would be promoting construction, she probably would have laughed. She was certain she would be selling products or working for a big retail company. However, it’s been quite a wonderful career and I getContinue reading “12 things I wish I knew at the beginning of my career”
Defining your personal mission statement
Crafting a mission statement is not an easy feat. We establish them for our companies and various organizations, but often fail to create one to live by personally. Have you determined what the true mission for your life is and how you want to live it? I recently went through the exercise of creating aContinue reading “Defining your personal mission statement”
Counting my blessings amid trials
More doctor appointments, unexpected news, surgery forthcoming. Life’s been kicking me pretty hard lately. It’s like I can’t find air. Every time I get through a major hurdle and reset, another one surfaces. Last week, I went to the dermatologist for my yearly appointment. I had a skin lesion on my arm that I’ve questionedContinue reading “Counting my blessings amid trials”
Slowing down: life in the holler
Lately, I feel like life has been traveling at 150 miles per hour. It’s been hard to keep up with work, doctor’s appointments, church commitments, etc., let alone spend quality time with family and friends. I needed a reset; to find some restorative energy and slow down. What better place to do that then inContinue reading “Slowing down: life in the holler”
Free falling at 120 mph
If you read my last post, you know that I have had a slew of doctor’s appointments over the last two months that shifted my perspective on life. As such, it gave me extra motivation to live my life to the fullest extent, starting now. I don’t want to waste any time. From pursuing dreamsContinue reading “Free falling at 120 mph”
