James OConnor

Three weeks in, we finally got the full story out of him on Sunday night. He had been carrying it alone, which is the part that breaks me the most. We meet with the school on Wednesday. Pray for the …

It was tight all the way to the last day. We had a quiet dinner of rice and eggs and we were grateful and a bit shaken. Pray for those still walking through scarcity. We have been there and we will be…

He had a hard week at school — sensory overload on Tuesday, then a misunderstanding with a classmate on Thursday. The teachers are kind but stretched. Pray for one breakthrough this month, and for a s…

It was not the year we imagined. We had two job losses, a small loss in the family, and a long stretch where we both just survived next to each other instead of with each other. Pray for the second y…

After six years of saying I would. After three years of saying I should have. The first invoice goes out next week. Pray for steady hands and steady customers. Pray for me to learn how to charge what …

We have come through one almost-match and one full match that fell through at the last week. We don't know what to call any of it now — hope, grief, tiredness. All of those at once on most days. Pray …

It was not the year we imagined. We had two job losses, a small loss in the family, and a long stretch where we both just survived next to each other instead of with each other. Pray for the second y…

Hospice last Wednesday. He still has good hours. He told a joke yesterday and we all laughed too hard, the way you do. My mother is sleeping next to him every night. My brother flew in from Sydney; h…

I keep replaying it. Pray for me to lay it down without dropping the boundary. There is a version of forgiveness that is just self-erasure and I don't want to do that. There is also a version that hol…

We saw him work so hard. Thank you for praying. #thanksgiving

We didn't tell them how stretched we are; they wouldn't accept the help if they knew. Pray for sufficiency for everyone. Pray for me to do this without resentment, even on the months when it is hard. …

Nine months in. The CV is now in a folder that I open less often. The early kindnesses from friends have settled into a quieter awkwardness — they don't know what to ask anymore. This week I almost t…

May help reach them quickly. May they not feel alone.

We didn't tell them how stretched we are; they wouldn't accept the help if they knew. Pray for sufficiency for everyone. Pray for me to do this without resentment, even on the months when it is hard. …

Pray for resourcefulness and steady nerves. #healing

It was not the year we imagined. We had two job losses, a small loss in the family, and a long stretch where we both just survived next to each other instead of with each other. Pray for the second y…

She is loved. The caregivers are tired. There is a particular weight to caring for someone who doesn't always remember you, and who is sometimes scared of you because of it. Pray for soft hands and sl…

We had the conversation last weekend about hiring a part-time helper. It did not go well. They feel managed; we feel scared. Pray for the next conversation — for softer language and for us listening b…

Tender and patient with each other. #marriage

We've been carrying this since the first scan came back uncertain. Some days I'm fine; some days I can barely look at the calendar. Pray for the doctor to be honest and gentle. Pray for the right next…

We didn't tell them how stretched we are; they wouldn't accept the help if they knew. Pray for sufficiency for everyone. Pray for me to do this without resentment, even on the months when it is hard. …

Three years almost to the day from the diagnosis. The doctor said the word 'remission' and I think I said 'thank you' four times before I could pull it together. I am not the same person I was three …

Hospice last Wednesday. He still has good hours. He told a joke yesterday and we all laughed too hard, the way you do. My mother is sleeping next to him every night. My brother flew in from Sydney; h…

Pray for steadiness through today.

He had a hard week at school — sensory overload on Tuesday, then a misunderstanding with a classmate on Thursday. The teachers are kind but stretched. Pray for one breakthrough this month, and for a s…

I keep replaying it. Pray for me to lay it down without dropping the boundary. There is a version of forgiveness that is just self-erasure and I don't want to do that. There is also a version that hol…

Pray for clear heads and right values. #work

After months of hustle. Pray for the next ten. #thanksgiving

We hadn't spoken properly in four years. Long story, dumb story; it started with an argument about our father's money and ended with neither of us willing to be the first to call. I called yesterday. …

Pray for me to hold the boundary without it eating me. Pray for my child too — that they don't carry shame that doesn't belong to them. And pray for the person who hurt them — not because they deserve…