Dianna Buchwalter

This post was written in 2015. Though it is a year old, it still rings true and always will. Happy Birthday in Heaven, Bubba! One of the most miserable, agonizing feelings is the separation from a loved one. In 2014, I was 7,000 miles away from my children and was only able to talk to them once in eleven days. On the day I arrived home from my trip, I couldn’t put my arms around them fast enough! Though it seemed it had been an eternity, once I held them, it was as if no time had passed. I went from glum to glee immediately. Today, my brother would’ve blown out 34 birthday candles. I wonder how he would’ve turned out. If the girls would still be chasing him or would he have settled down. I imagine my children jumping all over him and laughing as he was doing one of his famous impersonations. It’s been almost 11 years since he passed and there is still a pang in my heart. Remembering him is bitter sweet for thinking of happy times spent together is followed by the ache of...

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. ...

For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7) There are moments when the impact of life’s brutal blows will hit so hard we feel the wind has been knocked out of us. Last Sunday morning, my family woke to the devastating news of a close family members passing.  It was sudden and gut- wrenching. We gathered at his home where his body lay as the coroner gave us a chance to be together.   I watched as my grandmother said goodbye to her son and as my dad kissed his only brother on the forehead to say he loved him. One of the most touching moments of my life came when I sat beside my pain-stricken grandmother as she sang the chorus of “It is well with my soul” just minutes after. In the days that followed, family and friends surrounded as we told stories, looked at old photographs and remembered my uncle.  Distraction seemed to help from the reality of what happened. Eventually though, th...

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!  You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. -Deuteronomy 30:19-20 As I quieted the voices in my mind, the voices on the outside of the gate grew louder. “You don’t have to do this,” one man said. “There are other options.” I walked swiftly to the door, trying to block out the sign that read Stop Abortion Now and the voices that cried out, “Jesus loves you.” My mind was spinning, as I sat down in the waiting room.  I went from second guessing my decision to rationalizing it was okay.  After all, I was only a few weeks pregnant and the baby growing inside of me was smaller than a half dollar. It hadn’t had a chance to develop yet, is what I...

One of the most miserable, agonizing feelings is the separation from a loved one. In 2014, I was 7,000 miles away from my children and was only able to talk to them once in eleven days. On the day I arrived home from my trip, I couldn’t put my arms around them fast enough! Though it seemed it had been an eternity, once I held them, it was as if no time had passed. I went from glum to glee immediately. Today, my brother would’ve blown out 34 birthday candles. I wonder how he would’ve turned out. If the girls would still be chasing him or would he have settled down. I imagine my children jumping all over him and laughing as he was doing one of his famous impersonations. It’s been almost 11 years since he passed and there is still a pang in my heart. Remembering him is bitter sweet for thinking of happy times spent together is followed by the ache of his absence. Birthdays, holidays and anniversaries often trigger the pain of loved ones who are gone. Days like today forces me to...