by Brenda L. Yoder | Jan 29, 2024 | Faith, Life
Four years ago, when the pandemic began, I wondered how to respond to those first days we were shut up in our homes. Fear, anxiety, and disbelief overtook me. I didn’t know when things would be customary and reasonable again. As days went by, the situation...
by Brenda L. Yoder | Dec 31, 2023 | Faith
I learned the power of simple prayers two years ago. My husband had a near-fatal accident when a tree fell on him unexpectedly at work. The last three words in my prayer journal the day prior were “Keep Ron safe.” Prayers don’t need to be...
by Brenda L. Yoder | Oct 31, 2023 | Faith, Life
Fall has been a challenging season for twenty-three years. My youngest of four children was born in the winter of 1999. I experienced postpartum depression as a mom feeling overwhelmed with babies, toddlers, and school-age children. In the fall of 2000, my mentor and...
by Brenda L. Yoder | Aug 18, 2023 | Faith, Life
There is wisdom in wrinkles. When I was in my mid-thirties, the first wrinkles appeared around my mouth. I noticed them more after waxing the hair above my lips, which were more visible because of the tan I pursued in the summer. How complicated it is to be beautiful,...
by Brenda L. Yoder | Feb 5, 2023 | Faith
This beautiful creek runs through our backyard. It borders wide open pastures and woods behind us. It feeds our family’s cattle. It’s my sacred space. The creek is not one formed naturally. It was dug as a ditch over 100 years ago when our neighborhood...
by Brenda L. Yoder | Jan 22, 2023 | Faith, Life
Not without design does God make the music of our lives. John Ruskin Saver of Things On December 31, 2022, I finished up the last stitch on an heirloom quilt I’ve worked on since April 2020 during the pandemic shutdown. It is for our first grandchild. The...
