Some seasons of our stories are so challenging, they invest themselves into who we become, leaving a clear before and after in their dust. We hold these moments close, protective of their scars, as they nestle deep within our personalities, affecting the way we view ourselves and others. Perhaps someone who was supposed to love you, didn’t — leaving a…
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The Long Prayer of Motherhood
Raise your hand if you thought for sure 2020 would look normal again by now. Me too. In this season of sheltering-in-place, yesterday looks like today looks like tomorrow, yet nothing looks like normal. While this wayward year remains seated in the principal’s office of life, it can feel challenging to lead our families into a fresh semester of uncertainty….
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Daughters of the Day
Once upon a Saturday morning, the house chores held a conference and elected me their leader. While rushing through chores, I noticed a theme unfolding in my living room. All day, our napping kitten, Noelle, scooted herself around, warmly snuggled in the patch of sunlight beaming through the window. As the sun moved across the sky, so Noelle moved across…
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Hope for the Hard Days
Air-conditioning blasted through dusty moving van vents as we pulled away from our southern roots, yet the farther north we drove, the more those vents burned high with heat. Our choice of sandals and shorts proved naive, as 1300 miles later, our new city welcomed us to a sky-show greeting the likes of which we’d never known: snow flurry confetti…
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Free Bird, Caged Song
Dawn awakes, stretching bright limbs wide across the eastern sky. So much energy displayed for such a still moment in time. Willing my spirit to believe in something other than the warm bed I just crawled out of, I rest in the calm of my rocker and behold this masterpiece inching its way up the horizon. Soft light trickles onto…
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Valley of Blessing
We looked like a normal family. On weekends. Every Friday night, my husband’s plane would land, and we’d cram all manner of family life into two insufficient days before Monday barged in with the next flight out. Week after week, month after eight long months. Weekdays were a crash course in “single-mom” life for me as employment changes split our…
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