I loved my mother-in-law. And I loved that she bought me gifts. In fact, for years, my mother-in-law bought me the same gift every year: earrings. Always gold posts, usually big and round. There was only one problem — I didn’t have pierced ears. Which was something I told her... over and over again.

Yet, I loved that she bought me those earrings, even if they weren’t something I could wear... or a style I might choose for myself. Returning them seemed sad; an admission that she’d failed. But no gift is a failure, not when it’s given from the heart. So I kept them all. And I turned them into lapel pins. And I wore them 

with pride.

Now that she’s gone, I treasure her gifts even more. In my prayers, I praise her and give thanks for the years I spent knowing her and loving her. And as a tribute to the mother-in-law I loved, I made a sacrifice. I got my ears pierced in her honor!

- Lori Strawn

We raise our faces to You.

You who has sustained

countless generations;

with the steadiness of Your love,

with the strength of Your wisdom.

You are the blood that unites us.

You are the pulse that revives us.

You are where we begin,

where we end,

where we are.

I look to You

with soul-bursting gratitude

for the blessing of family

and the gift of Your Presence

within and around us.

- Abigail Wurdeman