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. […]
Deep Roots and Divine Resilience
You probably overlooked her at first glance. She’s not not much to look at. Surrounded by her thriving, productive counterparts, she seems to be a lost cause. You see, the […]
When the Silence is Deafening: The Grief of Silent Saturday
Sometimes, silence screams. She harangues us with intrusive thoughts: You’re alone. You’ll always be alone. Nobody sees you. Nobody understands. Nobody cares. And for a valley-walker, the relentless shriek can […]
Last Words
My husband’s last words to me were, “Not goodbye.” We were on a very brief video call with him before he was put on a ventilator. We hadn’t seen him […]
Palm Sunday and My Fickle Heart
Today, my daughter and I got to celebrate Palm Sunday with a beautiful congregation in Costa Rica. It was almost transcendent to stand in that space, worshiping one Savior in […]
Drop Your Nets and Follow Me
Change is hard—especially when it’s not my idea. Especially when it leads to the unknown. Especially when it means letting go. “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” With […]
You Can Do Hard Things
Sometimes, God requires us to do hard things. Really. hard. things. I don’t know about you, but I have to admit that when He called me to some of these […]
So Loved
I know about love. I have loved, and been beautifully loved by, a good man. But, as much as he loved me, I’m absolutely certain Jeremy wouldn’t come back to […]
What Does it Mean to be Blessed?
Are we really blessed? In our culture, we tend to think of blessings as: But Jesus said, blessed are: Those last 5 are not exactly blessings I would choose. But […]
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 […]