I was upstairs when I heard my daughter’s panicked voice: “Mom, the yard is on fire!” She had been burning papers in the fire pit and one got away from […]
Resilient Roots: Living Again After Loss
When I was a teen, a magnificent holly tree took up residence behind our South Carolina home. She was actually quite beautiful, but she was too close to the house. […]
God’s Tattoo: The Splendor of our Scars
I had three surgeries the year following my husband’s death. Those three surgeries eradicated an enemy from my body, but also left me quite different than I was before. Ironically, […]
No Regrets
Time is a funny resource. We know we have a limited supply, yet we never know when our supply is going to run out. Five years ago, I threw Jeremy […]
Dear Younger Me: Grief Isn’t What You Think
13 Things I Would Tell Younger Me About Grief, If I Could 1. There is no such thing as “grieving well.” The right way to grieve is whatever way leads […]
The Valley Between Gardens
Grief and joy, coexisting. So much pain and loss; so much for which to be thankful. Living in that juxtaposition is just part of life between the gardens, isn’t it? […]
Prayer for a New Year
A Valley-Walker’s Prayer for a New Year Dear God, as we step into a brand new year, we lift up this honest and heartfelt prayer. Our hearts are full of […]
Healing from the Inside Out
Years ago, following our baby girl’s open heart surgery, doctors were unable to close her sternum, so they sewed a patch over her incision, and sent her to the PICU. […]
Death Gives Way to Life
It was a sunny October afternoon when death came to visit. Once my favorite season—filled with family birthdays at apple orchards, hot pumpkin spice lattes on crisp, frosty mornings and […]
Irreparably Broken
Do you feel irreparably broken? A few minutes of watching the news or scrolling social media reminds me that I don’t hold a monopoly on brokenness. There is pain, devastation […]
When Grief Rocks Your Faith
Profound grief has a way of bringing us face to face with what we actually believe about God. Often, we are surprised by our own doubt. We wrestle with the […]
Post-Traumatic Resilience
This is resilience. I remember a huge holly tree that took up residence next to our house when I was young. She was actually quite beautiful, but when she started […]