This Summer, my husband and I visited the Sequoia National Park. As our car wound up the mountain, we were awestruck upon the first glimpse of the gigantic trees. The further we traveled into the Park I felt as if we were driving into a fictional, magical forest. The trees stretched toward the sky, blocking […]
MoreAs I sit in the comfort of my home, trees dance outside my window and the rain drizzles down to the earth. To me, it has been a cozy, rainy Saturday morning. Without social media and news, I would live in my own blissful ignorance of what is happening on the other side of North […]
MorePart 3 In the fall, I will begin a new Special Education teaching role. I say this with a mixture of fear, joy, and thankfulness. When resigning from my job in October, I was angry. I was hurt. I was deeply confused. I honestly thought, at that time, I was handing over my dreams and […]
MorePart 2 of “When God Led Me to Quit My Job”: After resigning, I worked until Christmas break and have been working three part-time jobs since then. During this time, I have faced multiple trials to tempt me to regret my decision or to doubt God’s goodness. I have not, for one moment, regretted my […]
More7 months. This is how long I have avoided writing this blog post. This message that I have felt like the Lord has urged me to write. I have argued. Second-guessed. Refused. Began writing and then promptly stopped. How can I articulate all that He is doing? Will people understand? Will I share something that […]
MoreWhen my parents would go out on date nights, or when we would beg them endlessly, my brother and I were allowed to spend the night at my Nana and Poppy’s house. After playing outside for hours, I would come in and head straight to the blue bathroom. As I played and bathed in the […]
MoreDown a winding road, nestled back in the woods, is a wooden house with a green roof and a stone chimney. Surrounding the house are hostas, lilies, daisies, tall trees, and butterfly bushes. On the porch is a rickety old swing, a long, green picnic table, and numerous rocking chairs. This is my “home”. […]
MoreI crept up quietly to the wooden shelves piled high with books. My finger caressed the spines of old, leather classics, smooth, new hardbacks, and dusty paperback books. My finger stopped on Little Women and I eased it out, leaving a hole where the book had once been. Grabbing a pillow and tucking my […]
MoreThursday, June 7th, marks the five year anniversary of my Nana Pat’s passing. Each year, I have approached this day with dread, stirring back up all the emotions that I felt leading to her death. Each year, I have noticed the blaring, gaping hole of her missing presence. Each year, I have mourned. I have […]
MoreWhat brings you joy? How do you celebrate life? The past few months I have been inspired by The Life Giving Home by Sally & Sarah Clarkson and the 2014 – 2015 “HopeWriters” podcasts with Emily Freeman, Gary Morland, and Myquillyn Smith. Woven throughout their words, is the beauty and peace of celebrating and honoring […]
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Smile in a Cup 