Friends & Family: May 2025
It has been seven weeks since I fell and broke my leg, and I feel almost back to normal except for walking stamina. I don’t yet have the pace or speed or endurance back to what it was. I have learned a lot, though I’m not sure yet if I could make a list. Hindsight usually gives better vision, so TBD if I see more clearly in a few months.
If you missed my updates I wrote during my time in a wheelchair or on a walker you can read those here:
Sometime last winter, I began to sense I needed to make some changes in how I spent my time, specifically my writing energy. While I enjoy writing weekly blog posts, my now much stronger desire is to continue writing on my book idea on disappointment with God. It’s taking so long because I have so little time to give to the work. In spite of that lack, I find myself thinking about it almost every day as I hear stories from friends and as I watch my own reactions to life.
In the last six months I’ve communicated with a mom who’s oldest walked away from the Lord about 20 years ago, another couple who are dear friends of ours who’ve watched one of their own choose paths that they knew wasn’t best, and two young men, dads to three and four kids, being divorced by their wives and accused of abuse. When we and friends of ours were all raising our kids, none of us saw these paths for our children. Where is God in all this, and what are these men and women learning about Him in their hard seasons?
Bottom line is I need to find time to do some extensive interviews with these and others to hear their stories and what they now think about God. And to do that while still attending seminary, to finish in the spring of 2026, will necessitate finding more time.
Additionally, I want to write more spontaneously about what’s happening right now in my life. My broken leg/hip in April gave me a sooner-than-expected opportunity to do just that, so I wrote Lessons from a Wheelchair and Observations from my Walker. Hard seasons invite more introspection, more thinking and prayer, more looking at what matters most in our lives, and I want the time to pay more attention to these opportunities.
As my little team and I anticipate summer, we plan to send out some reminders in June of all my content available on Substack. July will be totally off for everyone, and August will return with a focus on the empty nest, and specifically the book Susan Yates and I wrote several years ago. Our book continues to sell as a new class of moms graduate every year from full-time parenting and step into their own empty nest experience. The empty nest is a perennial need for women.
As I close this month’s newsletter, here are a few photos from our family’s May activities.
As I became more mobile, Dennis and I made a few short trips to see some of our grandkids. First was Memphis to watch our two youngest at 4 and 2 sing in their end-of-year performance at parents day out. As I shared previously, the grands had more fun playing with my walker than I did using it that weekend.
Another high school graduation happened the following weekend. Michael and Ashley’s #5 walked for his diploma, which he earned with honors, like almost all of his older brothers. Daniel will join older brother Andrew at the University of Arkansas in the fall, and they are really excited about doing college together. So is their mom, and we are too. All the other brothers went far or farther away and solo.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about my plans to cut back on regular posting but to write more spontaneously and focus on my book work. Just give me a thumbs up or down if you like or dislike the idea!
Have a wonderful summer.
And you never know ... spontaneous may mean some posts this summer because something might have to be shared!
Ever His,
Barbara
Barbara, as a public figure. I appreciate your transparency and willingness to connect with your readers ( and share family photos). As far as writing I do cherish your posts, but as “The Lord leads” is best if you feel led to work more on your book.
I am catching up on my reading of your writings. I am so inspired by your writings. Thank you so much for all you do, I'm not sure where to find the thumbs up symbol, so I'm saying thumbs up!!!