“…this all points to metastatic cancer. I’m so sorry.” Deafened by the buzzing in my ears, I stared in confusion at my hands. My arms. My legs that somehow didn’t buckle despite the dizzying panic coursing through my veins. “Betrayed!” my brain screamed as it urged me to flee. To abandon this diseased, broken form. Read more
When you were born, I broke. Quite literally. It started with my water breaking six hours before your scheduled induction and five days past your expected due date. Quickly followed by a bleary 2AM race to the hospital praying that the unexpected bleeding would stop and you would be safe. Continued with a tense ten hours of Read more
I have devoted my life, our family life, to joy. To delighting and marveling in the gifts of God’s creation and sharing intimately the ways joy unexpectedly seeps into every crevice of our lives. But for joy to be deep and unwavering, it must be rooted in truth. And since no life is without suffering, Read more
Dear heart, There may come a time when the weight of the world becomes unbearable. When darkness pushes so intently on every side that you begin to doubt that light is true. That love is steadfast. That holy, beautiful things can exist alongside so much pain and suffering. I plead ceaselessly that God will let Read more
Far too often I condense motherhood into the milestones. The planned events and memories I try to create and craft. But when I think about my own childhood, almost none of these come to mind. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the memories that have etched themselves most deeply into my heart are ones my mom doesn’t recall. They Read more
“We must understand the creation of home as a work of incarnational power and creativity. ‘Kingdom Come’ doesn’t happen on some cosmic scale; the whole point is that it invades the physical at the humblest level. As Christ was born a tiny human child of Mary, so Christ comes again, invading the human realm in Read more
“I’m sitting here wondering if this will be my last Mother’s Day this side of heaven.” Words sent to a dear friend that I had tried desperately not to acknowledge all day. Trying to beat back the creeping anguish of my uncertain health, fearing it would diminish the deep joy I have in being a Read more
I’d spend it in my Grandmothers hammock. Suspended between giant old trees swaying gently in the heavy summer air. Reading through the distant sound of thunder until the raindrops start to fall. Or at the top of her magnolia tree. Initials carved deep into the bark of branches so thick they cradle me as I Read more
The stories we tell matter. Immensely. Story is essential. For individuals, for communities, and for societies. We long for a narrative that includes us. That grounds us and helps us make sense of the world and our place in it. That needs and values our contributions. This belief has inundated every thread of my life Read more
“The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing to find the place where all beauty came from.” – CS Lewis The most impactful part of having children for me has been watching their little souls awaken to beauty. The wide-eyed wonder of an infant experiencing every texture, taste, and sound for the first Read more
