a different kind of Christmas.

Some of my favorite memories come from the Christmas season. Dragging our mattress into the living room and sleeping under the tree with my husband. Steaming mugs of hot chocolate with a hint of peppermint, dotted with whipped cream.  Fresh pine and twinkling lights. Big packages arriving in the mail from grandparents, aunts and uncles…

a letter for when you’re not at your best at Thanksgiving.

To my friend who isn’t doing very well this Thanksgiving: You’re not alone. I wasn’t doing very well this day last year. In fact, I skipped Thanksgiving last year. It wasn’t on purpose. In fact, I would have given almost anything to participate, eat food and enjoy the people I loved. But I couldn’t. The…

feeling small in the midst of overwhelming hurt.

I feel so often caught off guard by hardships and suffering. This week I learned that a dear friend’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Another friend’s dad was sent home from the hospital on hospice care. If your facebook feed looks anything mine has in the past weeks, it is littered with sentiments about…

what others’ words do to my heart.

Due to a wonderful house guest and a few head colds, there was about a week or so this last month that I wasn’t reading much. I was surprised by how much I missed reading and how my heart needs it. I think my heart needs to read and hear from others.  I need to…

a guest & good enough.

A couple of years ago now, a dear friend of mine told me I needed to meet this girl, Christine. At the time, I honestly thought I had enough friends (which now sounds like a ridiculous notion!) and didn’t really want to put the effort into any more friendships. But I agreed to meet her….

dear friend.

Dear friend, Here you find yourself in a confusing, strange place. A place that is uncomfortable and unwanted much of the time. Sure, it isn’t all bad, but it is difficult at times and hard to understand why the Lord has placed you here in this season. Your work feels small and unseen, compared to…