Don’t Miss the Moment

I need a breather.  Today is the last day of June, and the summer is flying by too fast. Just this past weekend… Two children and I came home from a four-day camp. My daughter’s friends visited for a two-day sleepover. We had Sunday morning responsibilities, a...

Satisfy Your Craving for Connection

The floors were covered with footprints, and the countertops littered with empty glasses and bowls. I woke to the memory of laughter and love shared among friends. Not the kind of friends you put on a show for, but the kind that fill the house as...

What to do with all the feelings

Heart racing, I quickly closed the door to my dorm room. I could feel my chest tighten, the air constricting in my lungs. Not again, Lord, please.  I picked up the phone to call my boyfriend. No answer. Then my pastor, but the phone only rang and...

What’s on your mind right now?

Driving through North Carolina, the simple words on the billboard brought my racing mind to a halt. Now, twenty-four hours home, I can’t seem to shake them. “Hope is a practice that saves my life every day.” I don’t know what business or organization the billboard promoted, but...

What kind of waters are you navigating?

The water was uncharacteristically calm, glistening under the noonday sun. The sunfish sailboat my boyfriend and now husband, Rob, paddled out into the middle of the lake sat stagnant. He had hoped to impress me with his sailing skills, but instead he cleated the sail and climbed...

Snails and Easter

"It must be snail season," I thought as I almost stepped on my third snail this week. While I don't think we have a snail season in Virginia, I do notice more snails on my walks in March and April. With the warmer temperatures and rainy...

What’s Beneath the Surface?

“Dig a little deeper. You’re almost there.” My oldest son encouraged his younger brother. The boys sat across from each other on the bank of the river. Each brother had his arm elbow-deep in the sand. “We did it!” shouted my youngest son as he grabbed his brother’s...

A Simple Chair

To a guest in our home, it is simply a plain gray chair in the corner. A chair situated by the window with an old, faded 'Home Sweet Home' pillow. Uninviting and unimpressive. To me, the chair is where I meet Jesus before the sun rises each...