I'm about to be 33 years old but certain memories haunt me as if they happened yesterday. When a friendship fades. When I look on Facebook and see groups of women laughing and doing life together. When I feel the sting of jealousy. When fear threatens the relationships I do have. That's when I find myself back in my bedroom - 10 years old - peeking through the blinds at all the little girls squealing and playing next door. Without me. I vividly remember the moment she abandoned Continue Reading
One Word Reflections {2014}
I've spent the past 365 days focused on a single word: gratitude. I've listed gifts one by one. I've written down 1,100 reasons I have to be grateful. There were days I wrote down one or two gifts, days I listed ten, and days when I didn't write down a single one. But as I sit and reflect on this year, I clearly see how focusing on gratitude has made life more joy-filled. I had less down days. I embraced the mundane moments instead of wishing them away. I learned a few things along the Continue Reading
Working It Out
My friend's uncle died unexpectedly. Her family was left with hard questions unanswered. The kind of questions you hope you're never left with after a loved one dies. The kind you pray you know the answer to long before they take their final breath. Suffocating. Draining. Wondering. Questions. What do you say to your friend who's grieving and broken and questioning? I didn't have the answers but I felt God saying there were lessons to be learned. Forgive. Pray for those who Continue Reading
PCOS Awareness Month
It happened the moment I chunked the contraceptives in the trash can. My body went bonkers. Irregular periods. Weight gain. Acne. Facial hair. Lots and lots of tears. And one negative pregnancy test after another. I never experienced a single one of these symptoms prior to using birth control. I could tell you exactly when aunt flow would visit and she was never late. After several rounds of blood work and a sonogram of my ovaries, my doctor confirmed that I had PCOS. Polycystic Continue Reading
Gratitude and Glory
My list of gifts stalled around 800. I went several weeks without writing anything down. I'm not ungrateful. I'm just a little type A and don't like writing down the same gift twice. There were so many gifts this summer. I shared a few of them here. But for the past few weeks I've felt as dry as Oklahoma in August. I'm ready for a new season - crisp, cool, colors exploding. I'm ready to unwrap a new season of gifts. Pumpkins, Pot Pie, and Peppermint Mochas. Because when I stop Continue Reading