“What were you going to make for Christmas dinner?” one of my older children asked in a very reasonable tone. I cleared my throat, but couldn’t speak. There was no real explanation for my behavior. I’d been so intent on… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share Image
“You have no idea how well you are doing,” John complimented me just a few minutes after he mentioned the Christmas card. What did that mean: That I was doing well? That I’d come to a family gathering? That I’d… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share Image
“We continued talking as my purchases were rung up—about the first Christmas, the sadness of ending up in a cemetery on a holiday, and the pain of getting through that first year. “They tell me it gets better,” she said with a sigh. “Can I give you a hug?” I asked shyly before I turned to go. She nodded eagerly,… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share
“Compulsive? I lived and breathed refunding, and my children benefited with their wide variety of toys, balls, and T-shirts I obtained through my hobby. It was all a big game, and one that I played well. And I was not alone. While there was no estimate available on the number of people who were involved in refunding, Carol Backs, publisher… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share
“Can you remember another time when your chest felt like this?” My fingers splayed across my aching chest as I carefully pondered her question. Then I nodded vigorously as I remembered. Tears streamed down my cheeks unchecked as I whispered hoarsely, “Yes, I do remember.After my husband died, it hurt like this. My chest felt full and heavy, and I… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share
“I held back from seeing Jacob much during those weeks. He wanted only his mother, and I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing him like that. I stopped by to pick up his siblings and take them away, but I rarely went inside the house. After several days of this, I knew I must face the sight that my daughter… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share
“Later, as I attempted to lean over the high sides of the hospital bed to kiss David, I couldn’t reach either his forehead or his lips, so I began kissing the length of his arm. “I love you,” I told him before I was ready to leave for the night. His beautiful brown eyes locked with mine. “Thank you,” he… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share
“What’s wrong?” he asked, and I motioned for him to take a seat. He listened quietly as I explained what had happened. By the time I told him the whole sordid story, my heart was hammering in my chest and I couldn’t meet his eyes. Was he angry? Would he lash out at me like he used to? David reached… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share
“Don’t you believe that Jacob can be healed?” some persisted, pressuring Elizabeth to believe—just believe—and Jacob would be healed. The underlying message was that Elizabeth’s faith was not strong enough to save her son. I remembered then the same kind of statements David and I had heard when he was undergoing cancer treatment, when several well-intentioned people informed David that… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share
“Despite their inherent messiness, consumers aren’t about to give up on a mode of savings that is so much under their control. Afer all, the price savings from a coupon is guaranteed to go directly to the consumer using it. A coupon can allow a consumer to purchase brand-name products at the same, or sometimes even a lower price, than… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share
“Initially, after David’s diagnosis, I would cringe when I read books or articles by cancer survivors who stated that cancer had been a gift in their lives. How could all that David endured be viewed as a gift? The invasive surgery, the weeks of chemotherapy and radiation: a gift? Yet, after the cancer, David would often reach for my hand… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share
“Tonight I attend my thirty-fifth high school reunion with some trepidation. I have not seen most of these former classmates for thirty-some years. I… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share Image
“I was not above filching empty candy bar wrappers from trash bins at the park or picking up the back cards of batteries from… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share Image
“For the majority of our marriage I was so busy mothering babies and nursing on demand that by the end of the day I… — Mary Potter Kenyon Copy Share Image
