A few years ago, my family and I went on vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We spent a week exploring the different shops and having new adventures. My wife and I believe vacations are times to relax, unplug, and have new experiences together. That formula works well … usually. In Gatlinburg, we first went zip-lining as a family, now a family-favorite activity. We also experienced white-water rafting for the first time. There were two options for our rafting trip: Raging Rapids … Continue reading →
As I listened to her anxious chatter, the image of my frantic friend blurred into an image of me as if I stared into a watery mirror. With furrowed brows, she rapid-fired concerns without the commas of deep breaths. She lamented the past and feared future failure as her meal sat untouched. I felt the frustration and pain of familiar words. My sweet friend served as judge, jury, and prosecuting attorney for her own case. Believing the lies of her … Continue reading →
Two tall, heavy doors loomed before me. Could I really do this? Taking a deep breath, I wrapped my fingers around a handle and pulled. It took only two steps over the threshold to start me on an exhilarating and difficult journey. Some dreams take longer than others to achieve. God-sized dreams are the ones we think impossible ever to see come true, yet, these dreams are done only in His timing and His help. God takes the impossible and … Continue reading →
I sat with Jon and Cheryl, my late husband’s and my best friends for almost fifteen years. Now they continue as dear ones to me, and I to them. As we ate at our favorite local watering hole, I updated them on the latest news regarding my first book’s publication. “I love this book!” I said with all humility because I know God superintended the story and its writing. It’s the riveting memoir of a pastor I assisted for … Continue reading →
At twenty-four I went from childlessness to being an instant mother of six. I’d always wanted a large family, but the plan had been to ease into parenthood one child at a time. Through an odd turn of circumstances, my then-husband and I found our home filled with the delights of a mob of tiny humans, ages six months to nine years. I knew it was God’s plan, and my mothering instincts needed no convincing it was the
It was hurricane season again. As a resident of the southeastern United States, I braced for the year’s first major hurricane to hit our shores. I knew the storm was not supposed to be bad where we live. We were forecasted to get a few inches of rain, stronger than normal winds. That is what was “supposed” to be. But as forecasters reminded me, we were living in the “cone of uncertainty” … Continue reading →
If I had to guess (simply based on the pins that fill my Pinterest feed around mid-October) I’d say I’m far from alone in finding the holiday season a potentially difficult time. For too many of us, the holidays trigger terrible memories of years past. Personally, they mark the anniversaries of terrible days on which I discovered heart-breaking details about my husband’s sexual addiction and repeated infidelities. … Continue reading →
