Shelbyville Times-Gazette: Columns: Tracy Simmons

Keep God in your walk of life, son (02/19/12)
This morning my son will begin his second day at Chrysalis, the young-adult adaptation of the Walk to Emmaus. Part of this weekend of worship, prayer and fellowship will include letters from close friends and family. This is the letter he will open from Mom:...

Small bowl carries a big message (02/05/12)
Many years ago as I sorted through the collection of items my bachelor brought into our marriage, I discovered a small china bowl, chipped on the rim and faded by years, a product which came free in boxes of laundry soap decades ago. "What's this?" I asked, by now expertly flipping items into trash bags when Tom's back was turned...

God's care reaches where ours can't (01/27/12)
I had to explain the notion of death to Margie this week after we lost one of the critters we had brought home from Phoenix. A teenager with special needs, we've long accepted that Margie processes the world in an entirely different fashion than our other two children. Mostly non-verbal, part of the challenge lies in her inability to communicate what she's thinking to me...

Through trials, love endures no matter what the mistake (01/22/12)
The 13th chapter in 1 Corinthians is among the Bible's most beloved, but it's the last few words in the chapter which have resonated with me in particular this week. "... but the greatest of these is love." Maybe it sounds silly to say it out loud, but I know my church loves me. ...

A new, flowing spirit -- and a new life (01/15/12)
Parents of otherwise well-behaved 15-year-old boys know this to be true: At home, sometimes they can be real stinkeroos. Such was the case the morning I was getting him ready for a New Year's Eve trip with his church youth group to Winter Ramp in Dalton, Ga. The process of getting him showered, dressed, packed and out the door was stressful and loud. By the time he boarded the bus to leave, my blood pressure had spiked and I prayed under my breath, "Lord, help him."...

Another October, another attempt to heal (10/16/11)
Nineteen years ago today, I lost a son. Bearing a child is a thing sacred in womanhood, it touches the core of who we are, links us to the women in all the generations and ages before us. Since then, nearing the end of August, I find myself entering a time of mourning in my spirit. After the first decade had passed in which I inexplicably found myself fighting to crawl out of the black hole of depression, I finally made the association: "Mum gets a little wonky nearing October."...

Dancing before the Lord (09/04/11)
In Bible Study last week one of my classmates said something which amazed me: "I love watching Margie dance during worship." Another lady quickly agreed: they see the joy and purity in the way my daughter participates within our church family. "I get tears in my eyes watching her."...

Life from a much higher perspective (07/31/11)
When it comes to perspective, one of my favorite word pictures is crafted by Dr. Tony Evans. Imagine you're stuck in traffic, frustrated by what you can see ahead - nothing but bumper-to-bumper traffic - and you're certain you'll be late to work. High above you is a traffic reporter in a helicopter. ...

Return is an answer to prayers (07/24/11)
After I lost my job at the end of May last year, I finally got around to blogging. In my very first post I wrote about my sense of the impending: Change is coming. I feel it, I see it. God is up to something in my life. For the moment, I'm holding on fiercely, as if I have some measure of control, as if I've ever controlled any of it really...

A tearful lesson well learned (07/17/11)
I've long been convinced that God grants us the gift of children in order to help us understand both His nature and His capacity to love us. As my children grow into adulthood, this message gains a clarity that takes my breath at times. As I settled into my seat in church Sunday, my heart became tender, and tears began to fall. ...

The great man I've never met (06/19/11)
Whatever logic drives the shuffle function on my iTunes, each time the song arrives on my speakers, my heart catches and I pause. Every time - whether I'm driving, cleaning or typing -- the lyric conjures the image of two boys, ages nine and 11: I'm gonna wrap my arms around my daddy's neck...

Margie gets a chance at a dream (05/29/11)
I sat down to put to paper a lot of really elegant words. Then I realized that simple ones would suffice. This is Margie Simmons. She's 13 years old. She loves Justin Beiber and the Black-Eyed Peas and is looking forward to the June premiere of Transformers 3. ...

Tracy Simmons
Spirited Scribe

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