Brene’ Brown, famed author, speaker, and researcher said that two of the most powerful words we can hear in the human language are simply, “Me too.” And I can already tell you that when I unleash this next confession, I am certain, I will hear a resounding, “ME TOO!” from many of you who likely feel the same. If you are not my mother or sweet husband, and my phone rings with your name on it (or worse, God forbid,…
We moved into our house in mid-August. It came on the heels of months of being in temporary living quarters while we built. Now, this too is not our permanent home. It’s a shop house, barn house, barndominium, outdoor kitchen… whatever people call these things to make them feel better about the fact that when they shout at their children, “Hey, close the door! Were you raised in a barn?” you find yourself answering your own question… “Actually, yes. This…
It’s been a while. I haven’t written in nearly two months. I could say I have been in a writer’s slump, but I think it’s more accurately described as a life funk. Propelling myself forward at lightning speed and allowing the chaos to overtake the quiet. Don’t get me wrong. Life is good. It’s more than good. I’m crazy blessed and there is so much to be thankful for each day. But I find myself longing for more. Lord, I…
I scoured the tiny town looking for an oasis in the desert—Dollar General. On the road for work, I needed a couple of essentials I had left home without, and I was hopeful I could find what I needed. I pulled into the parking lot and my eyes caught the bright flash of their neon pink and orange shirts. Two tiny sisters probably about two and three years old who darted off the sidewalk before their mom could catch them. …
I stood looking in the mirror as I exhaled in frustration. “Seriously, what’s it going to take? I mean, I was watching what I ate and running, and still nothing!” With all the love and kindness he could muster, sweet husband looked at me and said, “But Babe, you did that for about a week.” As I rolled my eyes as far back in my head as they would go, I thought, How rude! How mean! How… right. Don’t you…
We are nearing an anniversary, and today has been sweet husband’s birthday. I’ve learned some things along the way. Most of all, that life is not perfect. Most certainly, we are not perfect. For the small amount that it is worth, I hope you might find some bit of wisdom here… I have come to realize that I have celebrated birthdays with you for nearly half our lives. I don’t think I ever quite envisioned that bailing on that St….
This morning I was on my way to work at a quiet coffee shop because my soul needed coffee, earbuds, and a change of pace. On my way there, I passed a truck in traffic from which the wheels had quite literally fallen off. Just driving along and the axle broke and the wheels fell off, and I thought, “Geez, that’s kind of how I feel.” The thought caught me by surprise, and even though I said it, I wasn’t…
So just in case you’ve been hiding under a rock, and you’ve missed the InstaStories and the Facebook feeds… It was Valentine’s Day, y’all. Now here’s a fun fact—Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday of all the holidays. More than Christmas. More than Thanksgiving. Certainly more than Halloween or St. Patrick’s Day. VALENTINE’S DAY. Ahhhh. I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic, I suppose. And I have loved love for as long as I can possibly remember. But this year,…
Four hundred and twelve days ago, I stood on a stage 20 weeks pregnant and preached a message about God’s invitation to abundant life. I used the text Isaiah 55, and here was the hard-hitting pinnacle of my proclamation: “8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow…
A few days ago I lost the majority of my emotional wherewithal over boiled eggs. Yes, you read that right. BOILED. EGGS. Now I have been known to be a little extra from time to time, but boiled eggs ranks pretty high on the list of ridiculous things that have triggered my ride on the crazy train. A simple conversation turned into stomping around crying with side glares and declarations that I was surely a complete failure. As a mom,…