In 7th grade, I rode the school bus with this older, towheaded kid who liked to give everyone -- myself included -- a hard time. I got on the bus before him each morning, so I could usually count on him throwing a remark or two my way as he passed my seat to find his own at the tail end of the bus. His favorite thing to comment on to me? The ...
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are ...
A short while ago, I met the Most Perky Panera Employee ever. Her name tag read Anna, and she sported a cute pixie cut that made her Panera apron look like something from a Paris runway. As she took my order, her words bounced throughout the store like a pep squad leader’s, cheerful and bright. Given the late evening time, I wondered if she’d ...
Around this time of year, the intricately designed columbine flowers in my Colorado town push through the stubborn, still-hard earth while weathering snowstorms, hailstorms, and wildly fluctuating temperatures. And around this time of year, my thoughts turn to those youngest members of our military families. They push through hard times and ...
I woke up to my phone’s alarm, the screen radiating a too-early time. I ambled downstairs and flipped on our gas stove before walking into the kitchen and pulling my chai latte fixings from the fridge. It wasn’t till I dropped two pieces of bread in the toaster that I noticed the entire room blazed coral pink. Grabbing my phone, I slipped open ...
I slide into the booth at Kneaders opposite Salena, excited to chat with this woman I recently met but feel like I’ve known for years. Over her fruit tart and my breakfast croissant, she and I meander down a long road of conversation, lingering here and there at points of interest. She is a former Army wife and I am a former Air Force wife. As ...
A few weeks ago I managed to fall head first in a Texas football stadium and dislocate, as well as fracture, my elbow. And let me tell you, that'll put a damper on your mood, mostly because a dislocated and fractured elbow hurts. It HURTS, people. Overall I'm doing well, and my arm gains a little more range of motion each week. I wish I'd ...
On this Veteran's Day, we honor you the veteran who doesn't choose where you're going to live or how long you're going to live there, who concedes safety and comfort, familiarity and stability, and surrenders your own good for the good of others. Thank you for giving up your freedoms so we may be given ours. We are so grateful. And on ...
During our time as a military family, we blew into a new town every three years or so. Anxious to wrap my babies (and myself) in some sense of normalcy, I would set up house lickety-split, or as quickly as I could. When my kids were little, success looked like unpacking a box or two a day or dangling a single picture frame on a nail. I ...
From my spot on the gray and white front porch, I never heard them coming until the driver tapped his car horn. My eyes bounced from my laptop to the white car driving by, and I immediately recognized the two friends inside. I sprang up, hooked one arm around my laptop just in time to save it from tumbling to the ground. I pumped my other arm so ...
