In 2005 we bought our first house, and I was certain we’d live there forever. I had visions of our babies growing up in that home and then coming back to visit us someday while my husband and I rocked on the back porch and our grandchildren ran through the yard. It didn’t take long […]
Are you wondering what to read next? Could you use a good dose of encouragement? Need some guidance on books to give as gifts? This is the list you need! I’ve chosen my favorite encouraging books of 2021 and added a couple that I can’t wait to read next! (These are all titles that I […]
In 1997… My high school boyfriend signed up for a visit with an ARMY recruiter on the promise that he’d get a free pair of ARMY socks. The recruiter came, he didn’t enlist, and he didn’t even get the socks. In 1999… Barely 19 years old, a year into college, newly engaged, and anxious to […]
Years ago, when my oldest daughters were still alive and I was their full-time caregiver, I went to my doctor and asked her point blank, “Why am I so tired? Why am I exhausted ALL THE TIME?” She proceeded to ask me the routine questions about my eating, sleeping, and exercising habits. I realized that […]
I had already started mixing ingredients when I realized I was missing one. So I texted my neighbor to ask for a can of cream of chicken soup. She met me in the yard with a family-sized can. Later in the evening, I sent my daughter over to share fresh eggs from our chickens. Here’s […]
I wear a size 16. My belly is squishy and bears the stretch marks of the babies I carried more than a few years ago. I took a style & fit inventory for a subscription box last week and they informed me that my body is shaped like a raindrop. Come to think of it, […]
I find it unbelievably difficult to take the vacation. My practicality tells me that so many other things are more important than time away. It seems like the resources that a vacation requires should be spent on something more reasonable and less superfluous. Wouldn’t our money be better spent on something reasonable and long-lasting? The […]
“Mom, can I have some of your business?” I looked away from the computer, wondering what my daughter was talking about. “What, baby?” “You’re working, right?” “Yes.” “Is that business?” “It is.” “Well, can I have some of your business?” she asked. “You want to work with me?” “No, I want playing with me to […]
I’m so sad about all the pictures I’ve taken in my life, believing that who I was at the moment only deserved to be the first step in a series of before and after pictures. I mean, what is the after? When does that come? Does anyone ever really reach a point in which they […]
I’ve got plenty to tend to without being ashamed of my anxiety. So I’m speaking truth, laying down the shame, and reminding you that you aren’t alone. Truth? I’ve consumed nothing but coffee in the five hours that I’ve been awake and I feel terrible. That would be an honest mistake, except that I’ve done […]
