Bonnie Blaylock

What can we learn from Leah in the Bible? We’ll learn quite a bit about contentment, if we, unlike her husband Jacob, can pause and appreciate her. It’s the oldest trick in the Book. Look at his handsome profile. Check out her successful portfolio. See how well-behaved her kids are, how green his lawn is, […]

On the winter solstice, literally the darkest day of 2020, my son and I craned our necks skyward on the front lawn. “Can you see it?” I pointed. “Below the moon to the southwest.” Just the day before, I’d sunk pretty low, feeling decidedly un-festive and weary of the yoke of fear, anxiety, and loss […]

A long time ago, our family happened upon this idea of what I’ll call “God signs.” The idea came through a friend of ours who had mentioned that, whenever he was faced with a tough decision or was feeling conflicted or particularly low, he had started noticing birds. Not just birds on a wire or […]

“Trust me.” Once upon a time, that phrase inspired confidence. Perhaps it seems hard to imagine, but less than 50 years ago, people turned to doctors, teachers, ministers, the police, and broadcasters on early networks for reliable information and reassurance. Walter Cronkite, the renowned CBS news anchor during the ’60s and ’70s, used to sign […]

Something called the candy challenge has been making the rounds on the internet, the latest in a string of ideas to try while the coronavirus keeps us stuck at home. A few brave friends posted videos of their toddlers presented with a dish of candy. They told the child that mommy would be right back […]

Is there something we can do on the other side of our suffering to help ourselves heal and perhaps even help other people heal? Rather than burying our past suffering, are there any ways we can put our suffering to use and create something good? In other words, how can we be good stewards of […]

It’s Holy Week 2020, and I think we can all agree this has been an especially Lenty season of Lent. When I was a kid growing up in my big, Catholic family, Lent was something that set us apart. It began with having to explain to my friends why I had a black smear of […]

Grieving is sort of like finding yourself stranded on Mars. Imagine being spit out of a spaceship, tumbling onto the lonely surface of a hostile planet, facing a barren and treacherous landscape as far as the eye can see. As far as the heart can know. Grief is much like that, except a lot less […]