Fear is a powerful word, which evokes strong feelings. Feelings we don’t like to think about, investigate, or consider. We want to hide from fear, and try to escape it in any way we can. But the more we suppress it, the more it controls our lives. Because we have so very little...
I may have written this post, or one similar to it, before. I will write it again, because I continue to bump up against the need to learn the same lesson. I internally rail against the drudgery of ordinary life and look for escape. The unending repetitive nature of grocery shopping...
Some people are gifted with knowing themselves thoroughly and confidently. I, on the other hand, love the color gray for a reason. I often don’t know what I want to do or eat, and I look to others to help me decide. Over the years I have struggled with understanding who I am, why I...
Moving into our new house comes with a lot of work: organizing, purging, and cleaning. It seems as if there are hundreds of decisions to be made each day, like where to hang a picture, which picture it should be, and the best way to hang it. I feel as if I’m drowning in the...
My family is almost at the end of a two-year house build. The whole process actually began much longer ago. After my husband, Bill, and I had our second child (who is currently nine), we realized we wanted a third. Our home was small-ish and less than ideal for the type of family life...
Growing up, I had pink wallpaper in my room. But that was the extent of my girliness. I have a picture of me as a three-year old, and I’m wearing a pantsuit. No bows, no dresses, just a simple haircut with blunt bangs and a pantsuit. My heroes growing up were Luke Skywalker...
Cheerleader. Fun. Engineer. Although seemingly contradictory, these are some of the labels I was known by during my younger years. Each label has positive associations for me — and also negative. When I found Christ in 2000, I felt like I needed to strip myself of those labels...
I grew up in the farmhouse my grandpa was born in. Our family has farmed and gardened the same land for many generations. I come from a long line of gardeners. In the rural Midwest, it’s just what you do. My mom grows the best tomatoes; my dad grew giant pumpkins; my grandpa...
Vulnerability. This word strikes fear in my heart. It makes me uncomfortable. It probably does the same for most of us. Merriam-Webster defines the word vulnerable as: capable of being physically or emotionally wounded, open to attack or damage. Image credit: Brian Abeling /...
My husband and I awoke on Saturday, mentally preparing ourselves for the funeral of a friend. Elisabeth had lost her two-year battle with a rare form of sarcoma cancer, leaving behind her husband and seven-year-old daughter. Copyright: antonioguillem / 123RF Stock Photo We...