by Emily Wierenga | Aug 16, 2013 | death, deidra riggs, faith, funeral, grief, husband, loss, love, mother-in-law, mourning, sadness
I had the privilege of meeting my dear friend Deidra Riggs in the flesh this past spring at the Jumping Tandem retreat, and she is every bit as authentic in person as she is on paper. I’m so happy to be able to host her today.My mother-in-law passed away in... by Emily Wierenga | Aug 14, 2013 | #imperfectprose, envy, hope, jealousy, loss, miscarriage, mourning, pregnancy, rejoicing, womanhood
She’s my youngest sister and I’m standing in her house in Calgary, one of the homes that didn’t get flooded and we’re making pizza. I’ve pulled and prodded the dough and she’s slathering spaghetti sauce and shaved mozzarella cheese.We were pregnant at the same time,... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 24, 2013 | church, death, faith, humanness, loss, mourning, open letter, pain, pastor, pastor's daughter, sorrow
Dear Pastors,I am your daughter.I am the daughter of a reverend and I know what the inside of a church looks like. I know the hardness of the pew and the length of a Sunday morning and the visits: so many visits to so many strangers when all you want is for your daddy... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 21, 2013 | children, comfort, faith, God's kingdom, grief, heaven, Jesus, joy, loss, miscarriage, motherhood, mourning, parenting
My tender-hearted son, Aiden, and I made a collage of people that Aiden loves: Jesus, holding the baby; hi and Kasher; him and his cousin Logan, him and Grandpa, and him and Joey. The collage hangs by his bed reminding him he is surrounded by love.Kasher’s... by Emily Wierenga | Mar 5, 2013 | children, daughter, death, grief, husband, loss, miscarriage, mourning, pregnancy, prodigal magazine, wife
She slid so smoothly into the toilet.And you didn’t know you would ache like that, with a baby-shaped sadness.You didn’t know you would watch her wash out of you, that she would stain your bathroom rug red, and that you wouldn’t be able to move from...