I’m a woman of habit, so every morning, like a playlist on repeat, I make the bed, shower and dash downstairs to the automated grace that brews my cup of caffeine. One morning, as the water ran low in my single-serve brewer, I thought, Oh, how my weary spirit can relate. I, too, felt like I was running low—low on…
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Peace by Piece
The relentless heat of a late southern summer hung in the air as I cheered from the sidelines of my son’s football game. At half-time, while stretching beneath the searing sun, a curious wonder caught my eye. High above the field, like a vivid smile in the sky, I noticed an upside-down rainbow! Puzzled by this unusual sight, I did…
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To the One Who Longs to Feel Known
Songs of soft praise laced with the warm scent of coffee hovered in the air as cheerful ladies trickled through the doors and walked toward the sound of their names, beckoned by familiar voices. I was new in town and had barely talked myself into attending the Ladies’ Night at church, where no one knew my name. As I scanned…
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Letting Go of Clutter and Holding On to Peace
The Carolina clay has housed our family roots for over a decade now, but prior to settling here, we moved many times across many years. As exhausting as those moves were, they lent timely opportunities to shed excess belongings. Yet, as we settled into longterm living, I began to sense an unexpected weight of weariness. Amidst the bustle of a…
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When the Fear of Being Misunderstood Upsets Our Peace
Through a blur of tears I studied the message, confused by the words it contained. For years I’d served in a lovely women’s group and, sadly, a newer member of the group had mistaken something I’d said and filed a complaint. Instantly, the angst of misunderstanding upset my peace as I realized I’d been inaccurately accused. In hindsight, I should…
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When Life Doesn’t Follow Your Plans
Short on time and long on haste, I jotted a nearby address into my car’s GPS one morning and, to my surprise, the highlighted route stretched wide across the dashboard map. What ever happened to the shortest distance between two points being a straight line?, I thought, as I backed out of the driveway. But as my pace calmed and…
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