I haven't packed a single thing. Normally, by this point, I'd have a list. I'd have piles. I'd probably have already thought through what I was wearing each day and checked the weather more times than necessary. Instead, I've spent most of this week sick. There was a point when I wasn't sure I was going to be able to go at all. Thankfully, I'm no longer contagious, but I'm also not quite back to 100%. I'm tired. There are things around here that need to be done. And there is a suitcase...

I remember several years ago, like around 2009 I was in a leadership training program along with my husband and several good friends that we recruited to join us. This was a two-year commitment and sponsored by the church we had attended and were planning to return to. Every other month, we went to Virginia for two days of training. The following month, we met with our local team to dig deeper into the topics, review the papers we had written, and talk about how we were applying what we were...

I think when we talk about grief we each have a place we go. Our mind and heart drift to the person we lost. Maybe the beloved pet. Or possibly, this time of year especially, it could be a child leaving home. But there is usually a moment we can point to. We know where the loss occurred. We know what we’re grieving. Recently, I’ve noticed a different kind of grief. There’s no distinct moment I can point to, just a recognition of loss. In therapy lately, I’ve been discussing patterns. The...