I read a fascinating article this morning about if and how animals understand death. I've always wondered about it, especially since I've heard so many stories about how animals often seem to understand things we don't. For instance--a group of elephants made a 12 hour trek to visit a dying man who had saved them. And now, years after his death, they continue to visit his home and hold a vigil … [Read more...]

Update: I originally wrote this in late February, then realized I'd accidentally scheduled two posts on one day. So I bumped this back to April. I'm writing this update on March 26, just after returning home from an unexpected funeral. Original post: When I wrote the Fairlawn books--which are all set in a funeral home-- I wish I'd written from a place of greater experience.  At the time I … [Read more...]

Growing up, I never heard anyone mention imprecatory prayers, which are mostly found in the Psalms. What are they? Imprecatory prayers are prayers in which you ask God to send calamity or hardship upon someone else. David was a man of great passion--he rejoiced with all his heart, and he prayed with all his heart. Like this: "Lead me, Adonai, in Your righteousness, because of my enemies. Make … [Read more...]