• When I said “I do” 23 years ago to my husband, I literally expected to live happily ever after. In fact, the intro of our wedding video features clips from an animated fairy tale. I know, I was young and naive. The truth is, it didn’t take long to realize that there are challenges to […]

  • The more I live life, the more I see that life is not easy.  My own life has been far from perfect.  I would never have imagined myself where I am today – both the good and the not so good. But I realize that so many have a similar story. While theirs may not […]

  • Some of you that follow our personal pages know that my family has been dealing with the death of our dog.  He was 13 years old, and he was our first child.  We had him before the arrival of both of our children, so they do not know a life without him.  It’s been an […]

  • Over a decade ago, my friend organized a “bone marrow donor” drive to help save her friend’s little boy. He had been diagnosed with cancer, and was in need of a bone marrow transplant. They needed to find a “match” for him. My friend was informed the chances of finding a match might be higher […]

  • Over the past year, we have had major appliance after major appliance break down in our home (see devotion from Feb 1). Our kitchen vent hood, refrigerator, microwave, and even our garage door – all needed to be replaced or repaired!  With the passing of each appliance (and the huge purchase of a new one) […]

  • I have been thinking a lot about legacy. A few years ago, one of our cousins asked my husband and me: “What do you want your legacy to be?” We had a healthy discussion, and then I didn’t really think more about it. Life happened and I amped myself up to keep up with the […]

  • If you had one day left to live, what would you do? It isn’t something we necessarily want to think about, but you’ve probably heard the question before. Let’s change it up a bit. If you had 40 days left to live, what would you do? Yesterday, the world celebrated Easter. To some, it just […]

  • When I reflect on my early days of parenting, what comes to mind are the times my children were dependent on me for EVERYTHING. Each child has had their own challenges and adversities to work through and overcome.  I knew it was my job during that season to help them and I embraced it. It […]

  • Last Monday evening we had some severe weather roll through our area. I was getting dinner ready and had told the kids to come inside from playing. My husband had gone out to run an errand and my phone started blowing up with people checking on us due to the storms. My town does not […]

  • I remember it so clearly.  My 7th grade science class had the privilege of going on a field trip to the zoo.  I was so excited because I knew that not every class was able to go.  And I was really looking forward to a day away from my regular old classroom. But in my […]