joyce

I enjoy getting my nails done for special occasions. When I realized that the trend was to get a dip powder manicure, I thought I would give it a try. I began combing through pics for the perfect color and finally found one I could show to the technician. I planned to ask for a

My husband and I each have two siblings, the youngest being 10 years apart from us. That means while our children are in their teens and twenties, our nieces and nephews range from 6 months old to pre-teens. I absolutely adore the variety of ages and stages in our family. Just this past week, we

It’s such a special time of year. Families and friends getting together. Feasts of delicious food being prepared. Festive decor and music surrounding us. But the reality is that you may be reading this and struggling with feeling merry. You may be sitting in a hospital room. You may be alone. You may be without

I learned long ago that I am a doer. When I lived in New York, I found myself doing many things: engaged in public speaking, working as a social worker, and organizing events for the youth at church. Without a doubt, it was a fruitful season and I enjoyed every moment of it. As seen

Yesterday was National Daughter’s Day – a time to honor our girls. It made me think about when I first held each of my daughters in my arms. I was literally tickled pink. They have been such a gift of love and joy to our family. We have watched our older daughter embrace life’s challenges

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

Growing up, I had the privilege of being raised in a loving home. It was such a protective environment that I believe I may have been sheltered from challenges along life’s journey. As a result, my understanding of God was that if you believe in Him, then bad things do not happen to you. Imagine

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

Among the life lessons learned particularly from the pandemic is that tomorrow is not guaranteed.  In fact, you may be familiar with this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: “Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” From the time we moved to Texas, we have done our best to go back and visit

So I did a thing two weeks ago. I wore a costume.  While that may not sound like much of an accomplishment, it is for me because the last time I wore one was when I was five years old. I guess you could say that it has just never been in my comfort zone.