Dianna Buchwalter

The phrase “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” was coined by Muhammad Ali. He is thought of as one of the greatest boxers of all time. Now I’m not much of a sports fan, but, boxing intrigues me. I’ve watched many matches through the cracks of my fingers as my hand covers my eyes. It’s strange how something so gruesome can be so appealing. One punch seems hard to take and yet these fighters endure blow after blow. The bell dings and each person proceeds to separate corners. They both get a short reprieve as their trainer imparts wisdom, offers encouragement and cleans up wounds. The bell dings again and they are back at it. One of the most thrilling parts is watching someone who we think is completely done, rise up from the ground they once lay on, look at their opponent, and say with their eyes “oh, it’s on.” Life can be so much like a boxing ring. A few months ago, our family faced one battle after another. After our faces met the fist a few times, instead of sa...

We eagerly sat down with buttered popcorn in one hand and a ginormous Diet Coke in the other. Those first three minutes in the theater were wonderful. Plush seats, junk food and loud surround sound was the perfect entertainment for a Friday night. By minute four, a series of questions were ushered in. "Mommy, what's that man doing in the movie?" "Can I have more snacks?" "May I go to the bathroom?" All these questions were nestled between food that was spilled on the floor and kids that got up and down out of their seat. On top of all this, the long awaited movie could've waited until its debut at Redbox. I chuckle as I think about one of our first movie outings as a family, but, isn't this how real life goes? We have a picture perfect vision of how our lives end up.We predict which college we'll attend, job we'll take, person we'll marry and children we'll have. Most of us are filled with anticipation until our things don...

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...

Rain continued to fall from the heavens a few days ago. One day turned to two and then three. Horrific pictures were broadcast on television of people who had to evacuate the comfort of their homes due to an unwelcomed invader.  As of today, nineteen people have lost their lives from a natural resource that is beneficial and ironically needed for our survival-water.   Water is such a magnificent necessity. It quenches our thirst, cleanses our bodies and nourishes crops. It provides countless hours of free entertainment while we vacation at the beach.  However, the only way this water is favorable for us is when it’s in moderation and controlled. This same water that has many valuable uses is also powerful enough to destroy what we work all of our lives for, in an instant! “Mommy, God promised He wouldn’t destroy the earth with a flood ever again, so, why is it flooding?” is what my ten year old asked me as we watched the news together. I tried to explain ...

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...

Divorce is like death, only it doesn’t kill you. Sometimes, it comes like a thief in the night. Other times, it’s years in the making. When reality hit that my marriage was at the end of its rope, I felt lost. No matter how bad it became, it was familiar and all I had come to know. But, the end arrived. And with it came feelings of heartache, hopelessness and insecurity. So, I found myself at the beginning of a new life as a single mom. Not only did I carry the emotions of the dissolution but I had new feelings to throw in the mix. Worry. Uncertainty. Fear. Over time, my new life became familiar. As my heart healed, I began to look to the future with anticipation. There’s a line in the movie Hope Floats that has become a favorite. “Beginnings are usually scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s what’s in the middle that counts. So when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will.” As we are approaching the collision of one year’s end...