Dianna Buchwalter

  for Chad     In 2015, I wrote an article titled The Old Wooden Bench .  At the time, I was a single mom of two children. I discussed some of the hardships of being a single woman with a desire to be married. Please go back to my previous post and read it first so this makes more sense. The following article is an update of how life can change quicker than a snap of a finger when God rules your life and He says it’s time. My heart raced as my car inched closer to his driveway. “What if there’s no chemistry?” “What if we have nothing to talk about?” “Have I set myself up to be let down again?”  These are all questions that fumbled around in my mind as I prepared to meet my blind date on that scorching June day in 2015. What I didn’t know was that date would turn out to be the best one I’d ever had.  Hours seemed like minutes as we talked about life, children and goals for the future. When the hot summer sun gave way to the light of t...

There is an old wooden bench that sits in my back yard. A lot of use has come out of it. In fact, it used to be quite charming. It’s rotted now and the best use for it would be in a dump. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting on it, alongside someone. Now, it’s falling apart board by board. If only I had a truck to haul it off, or better yet, if only I had a man in my life to rid it of its misery.  But, I don’t. Truth is, there’s many things around my house that could use repairing or tweaking. Many of which I’m not strong enough to tackle alone. Most times, life is so busy that I forget about what’s being neglected. I rush by the broken porch, the swing set that’s falling apart, and the old bench that’s caving in. But, w hen I’m stilled, all of the broken things seem to come into focus. The reality of my singleness seems to be magnified.  It makes me long for a husband.  Not to just fix things around the house, but for the companionship - Someone to tell ...

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 There it was, this small, square, thin plate of glass staring at me on the bathroom floor. The scale and I have a love/hate relationship. Its powers do more than display my weight. Depending on what numbers pop up, that scale can solicit a smile or cause my shoulders to slump faster than a cheetah chasing its prey. The pressure to be thin seems to start at an early age and has only intensified through modern technology. Social media, magazines and television brainwash us into thinking that beauty comes in the measuremen...

(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...

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...

Yes, God, your God, dried up the Jordan’s waters for you until you had crossed, just as God, your God, did at the Red Sea, which had dried up before us until we had crossed. This was so that everybody on earth would recognize how strong God’s rescuing hand is and so that you would hold God in solemn reverence always. Joshua 4: 23-24 MSG We can tell a lot of one’s life by glancing at photographs. They tell a story. From a baby’s first arrival into the world to high school graduation to wedding days and beyond. The commonality in most pictures is the subject normally wears a smile.  If someone were to go through my old photos they would probably think I was the happiest person on the planet. But, pictures only allow us to see what we want them to. I can’t think of anyone that wants to capture a moment of despair. Why? Because we don’t want to remember it.  The essence of snapshots is to freeze time so we can fondly look back at happy memories and pass those down t...

I fall on my knees in defeat, tired of the fight. Why does it have to be so hard, I cry out with all my might. Two steps forward and one step back seems to be the going rate. Where are you trying to get to, He asks. Don’t you know I’ll never allow you to be late? I have things I want to accomplish, I’m ready to begin. Your not ready for the task just yet my friend. Waiting can be so painful. It fills me with such strife. I know, He said, I waited for you to come to me for half your life. I’m working behind the scenes, good things are on the way. Will you trust me not just now but every day? Will I be enough for you when the answer is no? Will you move when I say go? You see, He said, I’m molding you into the person I created you to be. The process isn’t always easy but it’s placing your dependence on me. When you think the battle has been lost, I order my angels to hold you up. Spend some time with me, I AM the living w...