• We were sitting in the back row of the church, deep in conversation. Since service had ended about an hour prior, the pews had emptied out and it was just the two of us. I was in my early 20’s and she was in her early 80’s. A sweet, beautiful woman with gray and black […]

  • As I made my way to work over the last several months, I came across a billboard that was borderline inappropriate. When I knew the sign was coming up, I made a conscious effort to avert my eyes to avoid looking at it. It wasn’t easy because it was a catchy ad, strategically placed near […]

  • We were not in agreement. And that was okay. In any relationship, there will be a difference of thoughts and opinions. We won’t align every single time. But you know what I’ve learned the hard way? The beauty of silence during a disagreement. There’s a high likelihood I’ll mess up and say something I’ll regret […]

  • I am not a Karen. I just wanted to make that clear before I share my story. Knowing that I was going to have a few medical expenses this year, I put money away in a health care spending account. If you don’t know what that is, it’s like having an account that you can […]

  • It began over a decade ago. My husband and I had the privilege of meeting a wonderful couple in leadership while we served in marriage ministry – Clint and Amarillys. As leaders in ministry, there are countless roles and responsibilities to juggle while balancing with family life.  However, what made them unique was how they […]

  • The first time my parents dropped me off at college, it was just the three of us in the van. As the oldest of 4 children, it was a sweet and rare opportunity to have both parents to myself. In those final hours before they left me at the dorm, they were handing out last-minute […]

  • There was that one class in college that I dreaded to take. It was rumored to be a tough one that required a ton of memorization. I held off registering for that class as long as I could. Then, it came to the point of no return. Given it was required for my major, I […]

  • I woke up at 2:30 a.m. the other night. There were no loud sounds to startle me, no random alarm that went off. No cold shaft to bother me- the comforter was tucked in place My eyes adjusted to the dark. It was quiet. But I was wide awake. That’s strange, I thought.  Maybe the […]

  • My kids had fall break last week, and we had the chance to get out in nature for a few days.  We spent an afternoon hiking in a national park.  It was great weather to be outside- slightly overcast with a cool breeze.  We had another family with us and our kids enjoyed exploring the […]

  • “I regret to inform you…” The words I never wanted to see on the e-mail I had been anxiously waiting on. “Fail” A feeling of rejection washed over me as the monosyllabic word glared at me from the screen after I clicked “submit”. “I’m sorry…you didn’t make the team.” My daughter, crushed, from hearing those […]