Over the weekend, my husband and I attended his company picnic at an amusement park. Visiting the park without our sons or our granddaughter was a different experience. After enjoying a buffet of food from the picnic, we rode a handful of our favorite rides, walked...
After a difficult July, my husband and I have taken a much-needed vacation to get away from the daily stresses in our busy lives. We've rented a yurt for the week at a nearby state park that we visit on a regular basis. While we are not new to camping, our aging...
Over a decade ago, a friend mentioned how prayer journaling strengthened her prayer life and subsequently, her faith. I was intrigued and asked about her process. Her technique was quite simple—she chose a lined journal, dated each entry, and instead of praying...
A couple of weeks ago, I awakened with a slight pain in my jaw that grew stronger as the day progressed. It became quite severe and necessitated a trip to our local walk-in clinic because my dentist was closed for the weekend. My face had swollen so badly that I...
A week or so ago, I helped my brother with an errand. As we headed back to his house, we talked about living boring lives. He said my life wasn’t boring because I had a fun job, wrote books, and traveled (not so much in the past couple of years). Then I decided our...
Last week, my husband expressed his displeasure over the skyrocketing gas prices. A friend shared her anxiety about running out of baby formula. Then I skimmed news headlines that left a heaviness in my chest that I struggled to shake. By focusing on what was...
I’m going to be honest and say April was a bit of a challenging month for me. But it didn’t start out that way. In fact, I had high hopes for April. My faith was strong and my well of joy quite deep. I had met my book deadline for March 31st, and I expected to spend...
My husband and I talked about taking a trip to Colorado so I could do research for my new book series. However, our oldest son announced he and his fiancé are getting married the same month we planned to travel. Since their wedding had been canceled twice due to...
As a mother of two sons—both now grown—I wanted only what was best for our children. When they were younger and still under our care, we did whatever we could to protect and provide for them. Now as they are older, we continue to care for them in a different manner—we...
As I walked to my mailbox, I was drawn to the pops of color sprouting through the drab grass covered with dried leaves and leftover remnants of winter’s fury. Crocuses. Tiny purple and white flowers that offer hope. Another reminder that the season of winter has...
