Today is my 43rd birthday, and I am grateful for the gift of another year, friends! I started blogging when I was 26, and here we are, 17 years, 442 blog posts, 20,000+ comments, and a lot of life lived together later. Most importantly, friendships—real-life friendships—have been cultivated. Except for my long-time friend Jessie who I met in middle school advanced vocab class, I’ve met my best friends through this blog! Thank you, friends, for sharing your lives with me…
“Sometimes when you are in a dark place, you think you have been buried, but actually you have been planted.” – Christine Caine Consider me nestled into some lively soil, friends. Do I know exactly what will grow ahead? No. But I trust it will be good. From all I experienced in 2022, I have faith. I learned and feel like I’m just getting started! Plus, I know the end of this story, and it’s a great one. Welcome back…
What a year! Friends, I am SO grateful to have done my PowerSheets over the last few weeks. I wept, I prayed, I learned, and I feel energized by my goals for the year ahead. Before going through the process, I would have told you 2022 was the hardest year. Period. That’s where the sentence would have ended. I lost my Dad. I had a sleepless season with the business acquisition. Despite my best efforts, I experienced health challenges. There…
We’ve often talked about “what matters” together, focusing our lives and actions on what we hope will last. Loss is one of those experiences that shows you clearly—painfully—what actually holds lasting value in our days. I wrote these reflections as my dad was in the hospital, as he transitioned to hospice, and in the moments following his death. I was struck by my own experience and what truly mattered in the end. While everyone’s experience is different—truly—I hope these reflections…
Updated with new books on November 1, 2023! 🎉 Affiliate links are used in this post. “Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!” – How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss Ahh, Christmas books. Their words have shaped our families, our culture, and our hearts over many generations. Old and new, great holiday books have a way of illuminating the…