There is a secret medicine given only to those who hurt so hard they can’t hope.The hopers would feel slighted if they knew. You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling, so don’t. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly. ― Rumi (more…) Read more
My friend Kristin died of breast cancer on Wednesday night. Here’s a piece I wrote about her a few years ago. Kristin, may you rest in the Arms of Love that are truer than life and stronger than death. *** I met Kristin during my first shift in an urban E.R. in Portland 3 years ago. I was working in Fast Track as a physician assistant, and she was the assigned nurse for the day. She was strong and outspoken... Read more
Of all the stories I’ve told about the Invisible Girls, this is far and away one of my favorites! Especially this year, let’s think about what it means to be, and to care for, our country’s refugees. *** Two months after I met the Somali family, the older girls came home from school and told me they’d started learning about the American holiday Thanksgiving at school, and asked me to tell them more about it. The first explanation I thought... Read more
This week I’m lucky to have the flexibility (and frequent flyer miles) to fly to Pennsylvania to spend Thanksgiving with my parents, my sister and my brother. I have two other brothers who won’t be able to make it — but still, I’m very thankful I get to spend the holiday with the fam.[br]I haven’t always been able to be with family on holidays, though. And I haven’t always had a place to go. I grew up in Pennsylvania, but... Read more
I don’t have many words to describe the grief in my heart after what transpired around the world this weekend….with attacks in Beirut, Baghdad and Paris. I’ll try to write more later, but for now, I pray for Love to win in me, in you, and in the world. Will you pray with me? Read more
Over the past few days, the world endured some devastating tragedies in Lebanon, Iraq and France. As I read the headlines, my heart ached for the suffering that the victims and their friends and family endured this weekend. And for the grief that all of us in our global community feel each time another headline breaks. It’s discouraging. Disheartening. Maddening. Today, on this Monday morning, we wake up to the aftermath and wonder, What are we going to do? I woke up asking... Read more
I spent the past week blogging about my experience of going through, and emerging from, spiritual darkness. (If you missed it, click here and read the ‘saint sarah’ series.) I got so many comments, e-mails, texts and messages from people who are going through similar seasons. So I thought I’d take a minute to (hopefully) encourage you with some simple take-aways and suggestions. Here’s what I’ve learned. 1) Go through it, not around/over/under it. Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through... Read more
I knew that Togo would be hard, but I didn’t know it would be that hard. I didn’t know that even in rainy season, it only rained once or twice a week, and it was still very hot and very dry. I didn’t know that my shifts would be 28 hours long, or that I would get malaria (in spite of taking anti-malaria pills faithfully every night), or that the town would run out of water for three days or... Read more
“Let There Be Night,” I had said to God. And for several more months, there was Night. In July, in the middle of that Night, I took the train from Germany to Paris. I spent a long weekend in Paris before flying to Togo to spend three months working at the Hospital of Hope, a hospital that had just opened a few months before in a rural, remote town in the north of the country. I stayed at the same hotel... Read more
I traveled a lot during the spring of 2015. I stayed at more hotels, drove more rental cars, flew more miles than I can remember. I loved speaking at events and having the opportunity to talk to people afterwards. Human connection was like a lifeline in the Darkness. And it gave me joy to be able to use my story and my gifts to help others feel like they weren’t alone in whatever Darkness they were in. In June I... Read more
Sarah Thebarge
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