On Wednesday April 8th, my Father-in-Law Norman Platnick died. He had been in the hospital for 1.5 weeks following a nasty fall down the stairs and severe head trauma and stroke. My husband Will and I were not allowed to visit him in the hospital here in Philadelphia due to
Lately, I’ve been reading through Psalms and Proverbs for my regular Bible devotions. And I came across this Bible verse: Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life. Proverbs 1:19 (New Living Translation) I was immediately struck by this verse, since as
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to
For the last six months, I have been underemployed. In that half of a year, I’ve spent my time doing freelance writing projects, speaking engagements, coursework, and guest preaching. None of these jobs pays particularly well, and together they definitely don’t equal a full-time job. At first, making my own
I grew up in a family that regularly critiqued advertisements. My Dad taught advertising and marketing, and worked in the field for years. He would constantly show my brother and I what made a good ad, and how it helped sell the product. What made a good ad was its
It’s that crazy time of year– people rushing around, buying gifts for everyone, and frantically wrapping all the presents in time for Christmas. It’s sheer pandemonium, trying to get it all done. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Why do we give gifts? The tradition of giving
I own a fabulous pair of red shoes. They are my favorite pair of shoes. I wear them when my outfit needs a pop of color, or when I need some cheering up on a cloudy day, or when I just want to wear fun shoes. I wear them constantly.
I waited seven years to meet my husband. Seven. Years. During those very long years, I did everything I could possibly do to meet my future husband. I tried online dating. I asked friends if they knew anyone they could set me up with. I prayed. I asked my friends
There comes a time in everyone’s life when suddenly the million dollar question pops up: “Why am I here?” And by “here,” I don’t mean your geographic location. I mean, “Why am I here on this earth?” Or, to take it a bit deeper: “What is the meaning of life?”
At some point last year. I became aware of a phenomenon called Swedish Death Cleaning. In short, it’s a Scandinavian decluttering practice in which you pare down your material possessions– so that when you die, your loved ones have less stuff to deal with. Sound morbid? Possibly. Is it a