Growing up, Christmas was magical for me on an almost fairytale level. As someone whose love language is giving and receiving gifts, having that bent really ratchets the holidays up a notch. But now that I’m all grown up, I know the secret of my wonderful childhood holidays, and her moniker begins and ends with […]
Category: Hope
Bringing a sacrifice of praise
I love an interesting family bookshelf – a good mix of standing books and stacked books, paired with fun and funky treasures picked up here and there. My brother has traveled extensively, so my bookshelves feature knickknacks from places all around the world, along with baby pictures and wedding pictures and clay sculptures my husband […]
On free returns and redemption
A couple weeks ago, I ordered my first pair of Doc Martens. A 90s teen to the core, I always adored Docs, but alas! I never owned a pair. And now, at age 44 with very flat feet, I find that I need some extra arch support. So I figured, why not cushion my aging […]
Lessons from a daisy
She won it in an art contest at school: a packet of daisy seeds. Disregarding the fact that her mother is an inadvertent plant killer, my daughter was determined to nurture these seeds into full growth. So she followed the directions on how to plant the seeds in a small cup, which she painted to […]
A new song
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The music blared from the store’s speakers, determined to get us shoppers in the Christmas spirit. Kids whined and wailed from the prisons of their parents’ carts, determined to get the toys they wanted. My cart itself was determined to veer left, no matter how hard I […]
The day I lost it at the DMV: when it’s all just too much
It was the day we had been waiting and preparing for: my daughter’s appointment with DMV to take the knowledge test for her Learner’s Permit. She had spent the last week of her summer vacation studying for it, and she was due to start school the following week. We had timed things perfectly so she […]
What spending my Kohl’s cash taught me about holding on to hope
It was supposed to be a simple errand. I had Kohl’s cash to spend, and I knew exactly what I wanted. By checking online, I also knew that the store closest to my house didn’t have the shirt I wanted in my size, but the Kohl’s in the other direction had one. So I made […]
On beach bodies and worship
You may have seen the meme floating around social media about having a beach body. How to get a beach body: 1) Have a body. 2) Go to the beach. This year, I followed that advice. I took the body I have to the beach. While there, I took a picture of the beach, framed […]
Wanting the miracle, missing the more
I grew up in the country. We watched the sun set while playing a family game of softball in the front yard as Mom cooked dinner. We spent most of our time roaming around our family’s land in our bare feet. The bottoms of our feet were so calloused during the summer that we could […]
When you’re tired of surprises
Growing up, I looked forward to Sundays with all of my young heart. Mornings were for church, and afternoons were for hanging out with my bestie, Deborah. We alternated between going to her house after church or mine. On this particular Sunday, it was my turn to host, and Deborah and I changed out of […]
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