I think my mom’s joy of buying new shoes for every journey is one of my great joys today. Recently, I completed my Ph.D. (this alone would have […]
ALS / Family / Grief / Jesus / Lou Gehrig's Disease / Outings / Susan's Steps
#33 My ALS Journey—Thank You ALS Association
My mom loved the microphone and the stage. She appreciated the opportunity to educate and encourage others en masse. In this blog, she shares her speech at the […]
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#32 My ALS Journey—The 2,542 Mile Road Trip
“ALS could curl her fingers and weaken her body, but it could not take her joy.” Tricia My mother was encouraged and inspired by the book Until […]
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#31 My ALS Journey—The Best Parts of Road Tripping
One of my best trips was with my mom to a women’s Bible conference in Anaheim. It was during the time of the Rodney King riots. It was […]
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#30 My ALS Journey—Rectified Reasonable Expectations
Susan Catlett was bossy. She’d boss with a smile, which sometimes threw people off. Her bossiness worked well for her as a Sheriff’s Officer, school principal, or superintendent […]
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#29 My ALS Journey—Reasonable Expectations
“It is God to whom and with whom we travel, and while He is the end of our journey, He is also at every stopping place.” Elisabeth Elliott […]
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#28 My ALS Journey—The Road Trip Adventure
Three things struck me about this post. First, my mother loved an adventure. Second, and this is an important aspect of this blog, SweetSpeakableSorrow, is the ease with […]
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#27 My ALS Journey—My Neighbor the Nurse, and My Ride Around the Block
My husband and I, my sons, and my parents were all gathered around our large round patio table in my backyard when my mother shared the news of […]
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#26 My ALS Journey—Special Blessings
It’s storming outside my office window as I write this post. Looking afresh at my mother’s words makes me feel two things. One of which is reflecting on […]
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#25 My ALS Journey—The Story of a Real Hero
Whenever I see this picture, it reminds me that someday I will write a book about these two. It would have to begin with an epic first sentence […]
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#24 My ALS Journey—What to Say At the End of the Day
For in grief nothing “stays put.” One keeps on emerging from a phase, but it always recurs. Round and round. Everything repeats. Am I going in circles, or […]
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#23 My ALS Journey—Cliff’s Exclusive Car Service
When I was in the sixth grade, I traveled with my parents to Brazil. We journeyed with a small group from our church to visit missionaries we supported […]
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#22 1/2 My ALS Journey—The Day After Yesterday, Part II
What will it be When, like the lily or the rose, That in my flowery garden grows I shall be flawless, perfect, Lord to Thee? Amy Carmichael, Rose […]
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#22 My ALS Journey—The Day After Yesterday
I started going to the Clinic with my parents as my mother’s disease progressed. It was grueling. It began with the long van ride (with no shocks) and […]
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#21 My ALS Journey—Fact or Fiction, Imagination or Reality
Picture [Jesus] as a bridge…His life is life, but it is also the truth about life and it is also the way between the two. He is the […]
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#20 My ALS Journey—Gains, Losses and Thank You
“Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various (poikilos: many-colored) trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” James 1:2 & 3 Our family once […]
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#19 My ALS Journey—View From a Wheelchair
My mom was funny. The way she saw the world during her sickness kept us kinda-sorta sane. She was always looking for the teaching moment in every situation. […]
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#18 My ALS Journey—Wrong Way Turn
This week I watched a youtube video of Joni Eareckson Tada. At 17 years old, Tada dove into a lake that broke her neck, which left her quadriplegic. […]
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#17 My ALS Journey—The Changing of the Chairs
This post shows the wide range of emotions my mother experienced throughout her ALS journey. Every day for ALS patients brings new changes, losses, and unexpected challenges. We […]
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#16 My ALS Journey—Fun Times
Most of my mother’s days during her illness (and health) were filled with this type of fun. She loved to sanctify time and celebrated the people God placed […]