Dianna Buchwalter

  Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.  – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Does anyone care?   I’ve asked myself this question more times than I’d like to admit. Not long ago, I was having a full-blown pity-party kind of day. Ever have one of those? When life just seems harder than it should be, and everyone should somehow know you are having a hard day, yet nothing. No texts. No calls. Just crickets.   I want to say this clearly. I have a sweet and loving husband. He listens as I vent to him on the regular. He offers wisdom and fixes what he can. But on this particular day, I found myself longing for something different. A really close girlfriend. Someone who understands the unique emotions we, as women, walk through. As Ecclesiastes reminds us, two are better than one. Notice Solomon didn’t say twenty-five is better than one. ...

  “Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?”   Stevie Nicks wrote these lyrics in 1973. I have listened to Landslide more times than I can count, and each time it hits right in the gut. It’s a song about change. About fear, love, aging, and the quiet questions we all carry as life keeps moving forward.   As   I listened again recently, with the end of another year approaching, I found myself reflecting on the last twelve months. This has been a year! I’m not even sure what adjective fits best. Crazy maybe. Long. Unexpected.   Sometimes life throws so many curveballs at such an accelerated speed, all you can do is try to keep up so they don’t knock you down.   2025 has been filled with a plethora of lessons in love, humility , fear, doubt, grief, and joy. They didn’t all come easy. But then again, we were never promised easy.   In fa...

  "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with grief; like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not." — Isaiah 53:3 “It doesn’t feel like Christmas, Mom,” my thirteen-year-old said recently. I suggested it might be because she’s getting older. When we’re children, there’s a magical quality to Christmastime. Excitement fills the air as we imagine twinkling lights, warm sugar cookies , and shiny gifts beneath the tree. But as we grow up, life becomes more complicated—sometimes in wonderful ways, and sometimes not. For those blessed with children of their own, the “magic” of Christmas can reappear as we experience it through their eyes. But children grow up, too, and eventually, we may find ourselves back in a place where Christmas doesn’t feel quite as joyful or “Christmassy” (if that’s even a word) as it once did. We all navigate different seasons of life. Perhaps you’re a young adult overwhelmed with little on...

Seventy-degree weather and very light sweaters  with lights aglow as children can only dream of snow. Christmas (in the South) is in the air! Santa and Rudolph are placed on the roof up high  with a hey y'all from the passers-by. Christmas (in the South) is in the air! Decorations put out before Thanksgiving as the neighbors tease us Setting up the nativity, but we can't find baby Jesus. Christmas (in the South) is in the air! The heat and AC sing a duet as we drink hot chocolate, trying not to break a sweat. Christmas (in the South) is in the air! Listening to carols sung by the fire as we swat at the bugs just slightly higher. Christmas (in the South) is in the air! Making Grandma's macaroni and sweet potato casserole for dinner while we complain about how we wish we were thinner. Christmas (in the South) is in the air! Watching Christmas Vacation for the 50th time with a glass of sweet tea as we quote every line. Christmas (in the South) is in the air!  Attending Chris...

  It’s two days before Christmas, and the house is currently empty, so I took advantage of the quiet moments and began reading Be Safe, Love Mom this morning. The book is written by a mom of four whose children serve in different U.S. military branches. It was a recommended read by a mom who has long been on this journey that we are soon approaching. From an early age, I knew my son wouldn’t go down the college route. Jeremy despised school. There were many parent-teacher conferences in those early years, and most teachers commented that Jeremy was too impulsive, un-focused, and disruptive to the class but had a heart of gold. I remember saying, “if I can just get him to graduate high school.” That’s how those thoughts ended for me, as I wasn’t sure what would come next for him. There wasn’t an urgency to have anything figured out back then, as time was on our side. As he matured, his character proved to be one I am very proud of. We often talked about the military as he grew, and...

  In 1965, a broadcaster named Paul Harvey, debuted an infamous monologue entitled "If I Were the Devil."  Here are his words: “If I were the prince of darkness, I would want to engulf the whole world in darkness. I’d have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — thee. So, I would set about however necessary to take over the United States.  “I’d subvert the churches first, and I would begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: ‘Do as you please.’ “To the young, I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince the children that man created God instead of the other way around. I’d confide that what’s bad is good and what’s good is square. And the old, I would teach to pray after me, ‘Our Father, which art in Washington ...’ “Then, I’d get organized, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature ex...

  Have you ever attended a gathering and you’re the only one over-dressed? Gosh, it feels all eyes are on you as soon as you enter the room. Last weekend, I took my decked-to-the-nines 10 year old to a Christmas party. It was the first time she had been to this friend’s home and her nerves and excitement had been building for a week. She looked beautiful in her black lace dress and red velvet shrug. As we walked in, Ava inched behind me with her hands clutched as she realized all the other girls were wearing jeans.  Mom fail #2,847! This got me thinking about all the firsts we experience throughout our lives. Walking into a new school. Entering a social event to find cliques have already been made. Visiting a church seeking food for the soul but not knowing one. We all have a first time for everything. For some, it can attack us with anxiety. But maybe it’s not first encounters that you find difficult. Maybe it’s the 300 th and yet still feel as though you don’t belong. ...

“I need more sleep,” I said to myself as I begrudgingly got out of bed last Saturday morning. Two of our kids had a function that morning, another wanted to go to a festival, our pantry was screaming for more groceries, the youngest child wanted to go wherever I did, I promised to take the girls to the mall weeks prior and my husband and I had a meeting that same day followed by our date night. I had no quiet time with Jesus and coffee wasn’t cutting it. By noon, broken sleep plus a tight scheduled equaled exhaustion. My husband is a very active father and loves to help in whatever way is needed, but, sometimes, there’s a part of me that wants to be able to do it all. I want to be Superwoman and look like I have it all together. Chauffer the kids, clean the house, buy the groceries, work a full-time job and   try to look half-way presentable by throwing make-up on my face.   Because of our season of life and my need to control, I end up feeling more Supertired an...

(1 Timothy 6:6 NIV) But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. A few months ago, I watched my daughter, who was then four years old, run behind a duck that had made his way onto the boardwalk at the beach. Of course he didn’t let her latch onto him but it sure was entertaining to watch her try. This triggered thoughts of all the people and things I’ve pursued in my own life. As a small child I dashed behind butterflies. As a hormone crazed teen, it was boys. In my early twenties, it was the latest trends. After I had my first child, I darted after him.  Most everything I tried to obtain brought a lot of satisfaction that never lasted. At the ripe age of 33, I found myself empty, broken, and lost.  All the running left my heart invigorated but my soul depleted. On a quest to find what was missing, I soon discovered the only One I needed to chase didn’t need to be caught because He ha...

The clock read 5:36 a.m. I had four minutes until the dreadful sound of the alarm would go off.  Everything in me wanted to stay snuggled under the covers but there was work to be done. With one eye open and flashlight in hand, I made my way to my daughter’s room where I pried Mittens the elf out of her arms. I then gathered up Christopher, my son’s elf and stood there asking “what shenanigans can these crazy rascals get into this morning?” Thirty minutes later, I saw Ava peek from around the corner and ask me in a soft tone with slight lisp the same question she had for days “where’s Mittens?” Their scavenger hunt began as they ran from room to room with such anticipation of what they would find. Moments later I heard my most favorite sound on the planet. Both of my little ones chuckled as they discovered their bathroom covered in toilet paper and the two elves sitting ever so innocently on the towel rack. In the middle of that normal Thursday morning, after I mad...

The door of my heart was open to everyone but you. Freely giving pieces of myself until pain and emptiness grew. You, the One that could fill every hollow space. I rejected again. Your response: “I’ll wait.” As my car careened you charged your angels to intervene. Thankful for a moment but I quickly forgot, it was you who saved me from that dark spot. You, the One who rescued me and gave me life. I rejected again. Your response: “I’ll give her time.” Sunday mornings spent in bed from a late night that left me with an aching head. You, who whispered I love you anyway. I rejected again. Your response: “It doesn’t matter what you say.” Crying babies. Sleepless nights. Toxic relationships with too many fights. You, the One who makes all things new. I rejected again. Your response: “I’m not through.” Broken and lost, tired of running. I lifted my eyes to see You, the One most stunning. You, the living water who refreshes souls, lo...

A comb hadn’t touched his hair for days. Or so it seemed. It appeared he had been wearing the same clothes for weeks. As my car pulled closer, I glanced at this stranger who held a sign and I kept going.  My ten year old son said “Mom, he needs help.” I responded “I don’t have any money.” This event began a discussion with my son that has impacted not only him but me.  He went on to tell me that though we didn’t have money, we could still give him something.  Then he asked the question that caused my head to hang in shame and I was instantly convicted.  He asked “What would Jesus do?” In the book of Matthew, Jesus says that whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. (Matt. 25: 40-45) How many times have we prayed to be the hands and feet of Jesus and yet, when given an opportunity, we let it pass us by? This wander...

“Do my eyes look Chinese?” is what my nine year old asked one Monday morning as he stumbled his way to the kitchen table. Before sitting down, he dimmed the overhead lights until his eyes were fully open. About that same time, my daughter made her way to the bathroom and said “don’t turn on the lights, I can’t see.” What an oxymoron that is. We all know light is needed for most of us to make our way around in the dark.  But for some of us, we have been in the pitch-black so long it’s all we know and what we’re use to. If we stay there, it will leave us blinded by the light and obscured to the truth of God’s plan for our lives. I was in that sunless, somber place for a while.  My later teens and early twenties were spent in the wrong places making poor decisions.  I remember being the life of the party when in reality there was no life inside me at all. I had heard the truth of Jesus and yet I chose to turn away from Him. Like I did, there are those, who reb...

Birds of a feather flock together. We’ve all heard the phrase and know the meaning. The saying has been around for ages and is still used.  Why? Because there’s truth in it. As far back as a young girl, I can remember my parents saying they didn’t want me hanging around certain people because they saw a change in my demeanor.  Of course, I didn’t notice anything different, but, then again, it’s more often people on the outside looking in that can give us a truth we don’t seem to recognize. Have you ever noticed people who pair off at office parties?  Or, the different cliques at school? There are groups from the drama team to detention regulars and everything in between.  Why does this happen? Because people want to be with like-minded people.  We want to enjoy things with company. Is there anything wrong with having people around us to share good times with? Absolutely not. Friends are vital.  The problem lies when what others are doing/saying...

Within the next few days, many of us will participate in dying Easter eggs, egg hunts and eat a few Cadbury eggs.  While all of that is fun and great traditions, Easter has nothing to do with an egg.   I looked up the definition of holiday out of curiosity.  Merriam-Webster defines it as a special day of celebration: a day when most people do not have to work.  We view holidays as a free day away from the office. A time to overindulge on ham and the fixin's while surrounded by family. Those are all great as well, but, the reason we have a holiday, in this case, Easter, is because it is a holy day.   Most of us know the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. It is the ONLY reason we celebrate.  If we aren’t careful, we can hear it so much, it impacts us less.  That’s why it’s important to know and remember the details, as best we can, of what happened on those few days that would change our fate, for those who believe. ...