Reflections

As the calendar turns and a new year dawns, many of us feel the familiar pull to start fresh. New Year’s resolutions are born from hope—the belief that tomorrow can be better than today, and that with intention, discipline, and grace, we can become better versions of ourselves. The Challenges We Face Let’s be honest: resolutions are easy to make and hard to keep. The excitement of January often collides with the reality of February. Life gets busy. Motivation fades. Old habits tug at us when stress rises or routines are disrupted. One of the greatest challenges is consistency. Real change doesn’t come from one big decision; it comes from hundreds of small ones made day after day. Another challenge is unrealistic expectations—setting goals so lofty that missing a single step feels like failure. When we fall short, discouragement can creep in, tempting us to quit altogether. There’s also the challenge of patience. Progress is rarely linear. Some days feel like breakthroughs; ot...

When a parent is missing, there is a void in the life of a child. But often, there is an even larger, heavier hole in the heart of the spouse. Children feel the absence in moments—birthdays, ballgames, graduations, bedtime prayers. They feel it when they look into the stands or wait for a familiar voice that never comes. Yet for the spouse, the absence is constant. It settles into the quiet hours, the empty side of the bed, the decisions that once were shared, and the loneliness that arrives when the house finally grows still. Loss does not always announce itself loudly. More often,  I have seen it whisper—through routine, responsibility, and resilience. A widow or widower must carry grief while still carrying life forward. There are meals to cook, bills to pay, children to raise, and faith to hold onto when strength feels thin. Scripture speaks directly into this reality. “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their time of t...