River of Thoughts

Christine Royse Niles — Changing the world one word at a time

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Zombie Fear

Welcome to Fiction Friday.  Each Friday, I’ve shared with y’all a glimpse into the mind of Zach the Zombie and some of his friends.  Today, a little about how Zach feels about The Rot. You know the drill–this is only very minimally edited.  I still appreciate grace and forgiveness, please…no red pens!  🙂   Feelings linger longer than the distinct memories.  I remember how I felt, but I don’t remember what I felt like that about.  I don’t remember why I felt it.  But I remember the feeling. I don’t get scared much.  Not really a point to it.  Some people […]

Wrecked

I feel like a piece of fuselage, smoldering on the beach. In a beautiful place, surrounded by the good life, but still pretty much a hot mess. I’m Wrecked. But what I’ve learned recently is that while I might be in a place right now that’s not comfortable, that’s not pretty…it’s important.  This is the place where I grow.  This is the place where I will make decisions that shape the rest of my life into one of deeper compassion. This is where I choose what matters to me. A Different Path In most of the western world, we spend […]

Love and Expectations

It’s hard work, parenting. The struggle between parents and teenagers is as old as humanity.  Adam and Eve had their hands full with Cain and Abel, that’s for sure.  And most of us will end up with a happier ending than theirs. What adoptive parents often learn the hard way, though, is that parenting kids who have experienced loss or had painful histories can increase the challenge.  A lot. To put it bluntly, our girls arrived in our family with a lot of heartache.  A lot of baggage.  A lot of expectations, some not entirely realistic. It’s still hard for […]

The Rot

Welcome to Fiction Friday.  Each Friday, I’ve shared with y’all a glimpse into the mind of Zach the Zombie and some of his friends.  Today, a little more about Zach’s Rot. You know the drill–this is only very minimally edited, and voice is still bouncing around a lot.  I still appreciate grace and forgiveness, please…no red pens!  🙂   The sun sat bright and high in the sky as Zach stumbled along the road. “Damn, I thought that finger would hold out for at least another week,” he thought, as the flesh of his left ring finger finally pulled away from […]

Extreme Home Makeover – Photo Update

Last weekend, 45 people dedicated their time and hard work to make a difference in the life of a Fort Wayne family. Last December, the family’s daughter, who had been adopted from Ethiopia, developed an infection that stole her life.  Since then, their home has been a place of sadness.  Haunted by memories of that day, the family has been struggling to find peace. When they reached out to us for prayer about their situation, Mark and I offered to come over and maybe help them pick some paint colors.  What started as a simple request for prayer, God turned […]