When You Almost Miss God’s Gift

This past June we set out to my husband’s home state of Ohio. A year and a half prior, he swore we’d never return to the Buckeye state if we could help it. We had lost too much there… especially him. So much of his life’s story now has tainted memories because an extremely close family member, as it turns … Read More

What to Do When You’re In Familiar Places, But New Territory

It might be a bit pre-mature for me to write this. But I’m going to anyway because my heart is full of hope. Our little family has the opportunity to soon return to a place that held the title of “home” in our hearts. It’s where roots were planted long long ago before we ever knew each other. Yet, this … Read More

When God’s Time Table Is Different Than Yours

I remember how upset I felt on May 18th four years ago. My husband and I were silently grieving our way through failed fertility treatments. No one knew but us and maybe one or two close friends. Not even our families. We were doing our best to put on smiles to celebrate  a family graduation, but inside, our hearts were … Read More

Even the Good Things

Romans 8:28 is one of my power verses…a go to for my heart when it seems like the rug has been pulled out from under my feet and I’m fumbling along, trying to find light when my world goes dark. But lately, I’ve been struck by the truth of how when it says, “And we know that in ALL things … Read More

Why We Need Stories

One of my current favorite television shows is, “This is Us.” As a series’ long fan of “Gilmore Girls,” the decision of whether I was Team Jess, Logan, or Dean was FINALLY decided after the first episode of “This is Us” because of how much I appreciated Milo Ventimiglia’s character as Jack. I know the characters are completely unrelated, but … Read More

Finding God in the Joyful Places Again

It’s raining today, steadily. But my heart is as full as it’s ever been with sunshine. The dark days are not completely over. I don’t think they will ever vanish in totality this side of Heaven. But the awareness of joy is constant for me now. It’s not from magic. It hasn’t been instantaneous. It’s been a process of asking … Read More

Being Overcome

A word has been buzzing through my mind this Holy Week: “Overcome.” I woke up after a hard stretch of days, and that word just weighed heavy on my thoughts. Truthfully, with many of the hardships our family has dealt with the last five months and also just having to say goodbye to my grandparents’ home as I’ve known it … Read More

The Mountain’s On Fire, But The Cross Still Stands

A year or two ago, fire broke out across the mountain in Ridgecrest, North Carolina. The Baptist conference center is very special to my family. For all intents and purposes, it is an extension of my hometown, Black Mountain. Many Saturdays when I was growing up, my Daddy would pile my sister and me in the car to go in … Read More

When All You Know Is That Jesus Loves You

Recently, some majorly bad decisions, which did not match up with the apparent character of a person very dear to our family, were revealed. In shocked disbelief, questions poured out. Nothing made sense about any of the information we learned because all things we were hearing were polar-opposite to the person we thought we knew. The more uncovering that happened, … Read More

Five Tips for When You Need to Hit the Re-Set Button

I think if I could title the past five months of my life, I could sum it all up as “Well, that did not go as planned.” In fact, 2016 has not been going quite as planned either. Maybe that’s where you are right now…feeling the need for a “do-over.” I’m talking myself through this as I talk you through … Read More