I grew up in the same little community my dad and grandpa had before me. I went to church with the same ladies who’d babysat my dad when he was little. We had shirttail relatives everywhere. Moving to a new town when I got married, looking for a new church, all in a community where…
You know the person that you always call when you have a question about healthy food? The one you call, not because they make you feel guilty for eating the way you do, but because they give you really good, helpful advice in quick, easy-to-follow steps? That would be my friend Trina Holden. When I…
Dear Mary Kate, Your daddy and I insisted on everyone napping Sunday afternoon. Then, we promised, then we could all plant flowers outside. We left the front door open (yay for screen door weather!) and knew you’d wander out whenever you woke up. We were working right by your bedroom window, not too quietly, at…
Writing can be a lonely calling. The hammering out of words on keys. The editing, the honing, the writing again. It’s laborious and lonely. So there’s nothing like doing it together with a team of those who are also called to write. Cheering each other on when we get published, when we’re featured as a…
I’ve learned a lot from the glimpses that some of my favorite, big bloggers occasionally give of what goes on ‘behind the scenes’ of a large, successful blog. I’ve noticed a few things that show up repeatedly in how these professional bloggers handle their online presence, and it’s not what you think. What defines a great…
They try to be just like mommy. They write little tiny characters all over every square inch of paper, making a list just like mommy. They take half the clothes off the hangers in my closet, parading around in my shoes and shirts, looking just like mommy. They jabber away on their toy cell phones,…
Weddings make me cry. So do goodbyes. But goodbyes at weddings? They really make me cry. I made it through my own wedding day with a big smile and dry eyes. Except for that moment my childhood and forever friend, my guestbook attendant, came up to hug me right before the ceremony started. And when…
The sunlight streamed through the window on the first Saturday afternoon in April. My daughters and nieces were at my feet, the golden threads of their “Chinese princess dresses” glistening in the sun. Their antics were the only thing that kept me from needing to use the Kleenex I’d wrapped around my bouquet. To my…
Finding your voice, building your platform and learning all the different aspects of blogging is challenging work. Feedback and encouragement are valid needs as we craft a vision and carve out our niche. You may not be getting that feedback from your readers yet–what you need is a mastermind group! “But mastermind groups are for…
They ring loud in my ears, the words that I just said. I bow my head, silenced in my shame. That tone, those words—unworthy of His name. I can’t take them back. I can’t erase the hurt, the pain. I can only pray that next time, the louder words will be His words, within my…
Photo by Darcy I fought with her for months–that Voice in my head that argues that I’m “too small to have an impact.” I’d created a home management binder that was actually helping my crazy, driven personality to make progress on goals AND find space to breathe. Even my neighbor noticed, “You’ve changed–you’re more peaceful!” I wanted nothing…
At the beginning of this year, I decided I wanted to begin learning American Sign Language. A rather lofty goal for someone who hardly has time to get to her to-do list, let alone to learn a new language! But my plan was to learn along with my girls, teaching them their ABC’s and their…
The End.
The End.
