I added quite a few new genres and authors to my reading list this year. Some of the new styles and voices moved me in new ways while a couple of authors I’ve respected for a long time continued to make their mark on my heart. Here are the five titles that inspired or stuck […]
My Friday Haiku
One of my writing goals for this year is to write more poetry. The most rewarding practice that has come from that goal is to write a haiku each Friday. It all started when one of my administrators shared that she writes haikus about various scenarios that she experiences on the job, so I began […]
A Bloom in a Season of Loss
This piece is in loving memory of my beloved aunt. A mentor, prayer warrior, example of cherishing family, and living for Jesus. I miss her prayers on my behalf already, but rejoice in the fact that she no longer in pain and reunited with many whom she has had to bid farewell. As autumn tentatively […]
Wonderful Grace
I’m now nine months into my year of wonder. I decided somewhere around month 6 that I wished I could scrap the word and start with a new, more exciting word, but I know that isn’t how these kinds of things work. After seven years of living out the practice of adopting a word with […]
To the Man Who Makes Me Better
Twelve years ago today, I married a man that I loved very much. At 24, I had barely gotten started on adulthood, but I pledged my love and devotion to a man who always found a way to bring a smile to my face. We had spent the last two years falling in love, figuring […]
A Rearview Look at Fear
One thing I love about taking time to wonder as I work to embrace the word this year is how the most profound revelations come in the simplest of moments. Take, for example, when I was backing up my new car the other day. I have had the car about a week, and the entire […]
Blogging Birthday Reflections
In June 2009, I started a blog. I had no idea what on earth that would come to mean to me, but it was a trendy new thing that a few people I knew were dabbling in, and I wanted a place where I could post pictures and memories of my newborn so that family […]
Lessons Learned About Loss & Miracles
I’ve contemplated two words a great deal in recent months: loss and miracle. Both locally and nationally, I’ve witnessed immense loss and have worked hard to come to peace with it. Our world is in a state of great unrest at the same time that the humans that I know personally have been feeling the […]
Tips for Creating Hope in Spring
Spring has always been one my favorite seasons because of its beauty and temperatures, but above everything else, its breathtaking symbol of hope. In spite of my love for spring, I can’t think of a single year that I’ve taught where I haven’t felt overwhelmed and unable to do much else besides work more hours […]
Simple Hope
This Easter, I’m most struck by how powerful and simple hope is. The hope that Jesus provides is what keeps me going when I’m tapped out of energy. It’s what keeps me smiling when I’m surrounded by sadness. I’m grateful for the way that this holiday celebrates the very thing every single human is striving […]