One of the most difficult commands of the Bible? "Give thanks in all circumstances." 1 Thess. 5:18 Against the daunting backdrop of 2020, this is a real stretch. The usual joys of life - concerts, live sports, plays - all gone. Personal liberties - church attendance, gathering as families, hugging and shaking hands - voluntarily…
Not Just a Holiday
A uniquely American holiday, this "Thanksgiving." In 2019 America, the last Thursday in November in the United States is set aside for food, family, and these days, football. But more than 400 years ago, stories of the "first Thanksgivings" in North America tell very different tales. The remaining Mayflower settlers celebrated surviving a harrowing year…
Where There is Mourning, There is Love
We spent some of the waning hours of 2018 saying goodbye to one of my best friends' 95-year-old father. In 2018, I was privileged to join in the celebration of home-going for the fathers of two of our dearest friends. I also said a final goodbye to my own dad. My friend had the God-given…
It Starts
You know that thing you knew would happen, you just didn't know when? That's happening to me, right now. And whenever this kind of thing happens, I hear the voice of the inimitable Nathan Lane, as Timon the meerkat in Disney's The Lion King, in his best street-wise Brooklyn accent: It starts. For Timon and…
On a November Saturday
This post records my memories from the time that God auditioned my wife and I to be parents of a disabled child - at least in hindsight, that's what it looks like. He knew all along what would happen, and how we would respond.
Lunchtime Musings: Giftedness
I know I've written a lot about my daughter who had a traumatic brain injury (the youngest), and my son who has Down syndrome (the oldest). But God has blessed my wife and I with two other children as well, and I'd be remiss if I didn't write about them, too. Our two middle children,…
The Day After Christmas
Here's my annual repost of a poem I wrote two years ago - as true today as the day I wrote it.
The Ocean and Me
If you've ever been bodysurfing, you know what I'm talking about. That moment when you've selected the right wave, timed your jump perfectly, and you're carried by the crest of the wave as it breaks toward the shore. You sense the ocean's raw power as the sea churns and curls under your chest. Then, towards…
Winning the Prize
Running a race. The phrase paints a lot of mental pictures, doesn't it? Men and women, all dressed in bright colors, running on the same track, in the same direction, at the same time. Someone wins, the rest lose. Then there are the marathon runners. Twenty-six-point-two miles of just you and the course. Running alone.…
Thank You….Just, Thank You
My daughter came home from camp tonight. Let me say that again...My daughter came home tonight from 12 weeks in Colorado. A year ago this week, she didn't come home from a skateboard ride at a local park. A traumatic brain injury kept her in the hospital and rehab for more than three weeks. Without…
Mike G. Smith 