My former student, Sarah Humway, wrote this post as an essay for English Comp I class last fall. I loved it and asked if she'd allow me to share it with all of you. She agreed. Thank you, Sarah! The most influential person in my life was not only someone who could pick me up... Continue Reading →
“Kindness is the mightiest force in the world,” according to One Day at a Time (299). In the past, I didn’t feel kind. I didn’t even feel like being kind. I felt like stabbing my ex-husband’s eyeballs with a handful of forks. If you know me now, you may be laughing and trying to imagine me... Continue Reading →
Lizard, Thank you for breaking me in back when I turned 22. There was nothing Taylor Swift about it. Your dad and I tied the knot three weeks after I graduated from college and three weeks after my birthday, and I frantically searched for employment while serving as your stepmom. I felt like I was... Continue Reading →
Giving back, paying it forward, passing it on. . . these are concepts I live by—partly because other people have done these kind of good deeds for me and to me. A friend and mentor of mine once gave me her family’s tax refund to help pay for a mission trip overseas. Their donation funded... Continue Reading →
Day 25 in the Dear Gratitude project is submitted by yours truly :). Dear Need, I first remember meeting you, Need, when my father fell from his heroic platform in my mind. Grappling with drug addiction, he stood in our living room in Augusta, Kansas, in 1984, and admitted that he had fallen for Caroline.... Continue Reading →
I've said NEVER about plenty of things. And eaten my words plenty of times, too. "I will NEVER get divorced." Done. Twice. "I am NEVER going to be one of those people who moves back to the middle of nowhere as an adult!" Done. Here. "I'm never going to date another alcoholic or addict, EVER!"... Continue Reading →
My mom had a rough go of it growing up. I won't share details, because they are my mom's to share, but trust me. Despite the circumstances of her childhood, my mom chose to have four daughters, all of us about two years apart. When she found herself a single mom with four children under... Continue Reading →
*Special thanks to my friend and sister-in-law Jenny Wallace for sharing her thoughts today as part of our "28 days of love" project.* When I look at my life and the things that are important to me, my children stand out the most. I grew up in a wonderful family...great parents, a pain in the... Continue Reading →
The first time I heard the song "You Won't Relent" by Misty Edwards, I was 29 years old. I was recently separated from my second husband. I knew our divorce was the best option, but I still found it to be difficult, painful, and devastating. I was bitter. Quite honestly, I was consumed with my... Continue Reading →
Recently, I wrote a post on my personal blog about the lessons learned from my mom regarding academic performance and pushing myself to do my very best. On the flip side, I've also learned--maybe not from my mom, but from my own life experiences and shared experiences of others--that sometimes, it's okay to make a... Continue Reading →
Gratitude Cup 