Preface: This was a difficult story to write. I suspect it may be a hard one to read, too. Though it is about a specific case I recently experienced, my hope is that it will help us all think about how we can lend a hand to others. Turning off the highway on the wrong exit, we pass through an… Read More
Yuck! When will this election be over?? Enough already! Sentiments like these are heard over and over. People are blocking others on Facebook, tweeting bombastic replies, and googling Canadian real estate sites. Like many people, I have friends and family who see the solutions to social problems differently than I do. Therefore, they sometimes support different politicians and polices compared… Read More
I read it on social media. I hear it from friends and family. People are frustrated and angry. But WHOM they are frustrated with varies. It is interesting to hear differences in opinion over who is to blame for the violence and unrest dominating the headlines. There is one thing we have in common: We are afraid. What have we… Read More
It can be hard to put into words the legacy of a person. I wrote this poem for my Dad for his 80th birthday last December as an attempt to capture what he means to our family. I share it in honor of Father’s Day. A Portrait of My Dad For David Berns A baby in his arms, a child… Read More
Is this you sometimes? You hold it all together until the last person is out of the house and then you break down crying. Life is too hard. You think, “How can everyone else be doing so well but I am failing? What is wrong with me?” Or you get ready for work and show up determined to have a… Read More
Walking into the large reception area, one might initially think there were many families on vacation. People talking and laughing in small groups with children darting around big islands holding the breakfast spread. If you look closer, you’ll see some of them wiping away tears. You’ll see the exhausted look of fresh grief on many faces. For others, eyes shine… Read More
On an early Friday evening, my daughters and I sat on an outdoor patio at a local restaurant. I gazed at their expressive faces, delighting in their laughter and conversation. Our peace evaporated as a van pulled up in the parking lot next to us. At first the sounds from the vehicle were fine. Then their two-year old girl started… Read More
My daughter stood in the kitchen with me as I put dishes away. I turned my head and whacked it hard into the corner of an open cupboard door. My head throbbed as I cried out in pain. You know, that cry of agony right before your ability to breathe disappears momentarily. My daughter cried out, “Mommy!” After a moment,… Read More
