“This is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (1 John 3:11 ESV). A hand-painted sign above my front door reads “Love one another” in elegant script. While the lettering and words are beautiful, I have the sentiment displayed there not because I like how it looks,…
I never wanted to be the grief girl but I lost my mom to Alzheimer’s. I’ve been a writer since I was 9 years old. In fourth grace language arts class, I soaked up sentence diagramming and essay structure like it was manna from heaven. Words and language became my currency, and crafting fictional short…
It seems as though I’m in good company in the Motherless Daughters Club these days. It’s hard to watch friends lose their moms (and dads) much too young. I know that, eventually, they will come out the other side, stronger and wiser. But that ache never really goes away. Here are five things you will probably…
I’m pleased to announce that my friend Kristie Smith–doctor, wife, mom of three, and marathon runner–is January’s Texas Strong Woman of the Month! Meet Kristie Smith I met Kristie six years ago through our church. I’ve always been impressed with her integrity, kindness, generosity, and determination. Originally from Lubbock, Kristie lives in Austin with her…
The past year has been a difficult one, full of challenges much like the decade before it. I sometimes feel like a battered ship struggling to stay afloat in an unrelenting storm. And last fall, the seemingly endless stress of balancing marriage, motherhood, and caregiving—while trying to “keep it all together” and hide my depression…
