Motherhood is an interruption. I was young and running regularly when I first got pregnant. I thought for a hot minute that I was just going to keep on running through the pregnancy and let this whole baby-growing process interrupt my life as little as possible. But then we lost our first pregnancy to miscarriage. … Continue reading Motherhood + Interruptions
Most days, you could draw a circle around our family that isn’t very big. Set the pointed end of your compass at our church and draw north, you’d encompass the girls’ school. Keep traveling around to the south and you’d catch our house. You could complete the circle without ever crossing a street. Our commute … Continue reading Christmas Letter 2019
Everyone else gets to date their church first. They show up a few times looking cute, see how they are greeted or whether the music sets the right mood. Not pastor’s wives. We’re in an arranged marriage with the church before we even step in the door, practically. We do our best to surveil the … Continue reading Blind Dates & the Body of Christ
“When are you going to write a book?” I get this question every once in awhile. That’s the model we all expect, right? A young, idealistic, Evangelical woman starts a blog, publishes a few articles, finds a few friends in the process…then next stop, her very own book! Everyone who asks me means well. They … Continue reading God is doing small things through me
He walks through fields of rough blue and yellow stubble, his right hand casually dropping specks from the bag he wears over one shoulder. His gaze, however, is directed away from his work. He looks forward, not focused on anything in particular. The sun blazes low in the sky. It is either sunrise or sunset, … Continue reading Attention
I’m sorry I’m late. I’m sorry my house is a mess. I’m sorry but I have to bail on our plans. I’m sorry I forgot. I’m sorry I didn’t have time. I’m sorry. I show up, kids in tow, an apology already on my lips. I’m embarrassed about something: the mismatching shoes on my toddler … Continue reading Motherhood + Apologies
I’ll just say it: Motherhood and Heartbreak go hand in hand. I started learning this when our first pregnancy turned into a miscarriage. When we found out we were pregnant, I had a very specific vision come to mind: being pregnant felt like discovering the house we lived in had a second floor we’d never … Continue reading Motherhood + Heartbreak
When Morning by Morning announced that Spiritual Heroes was their next writing prompt, I knew exactly who I wanted to write about: my friends who are caregivers for a loved one with special needs. Somedays I don’t think God has enough grace available to get me through the day, but these friends of mine are … Continue reading Ordinary Miracles
I’ve been competitive as long as I can remember. I just honestly thought everyone around me was always competing with me. I assumed everyone was side-eyeing me, trying to get the edge. In first grade I was one of a handful of kids who started writing our names on every upcoming page in our workbook … Continue reading I like to win
This is a piece four years in the making. Actually, it’s been even longer than that. I’ve always loved reading. It’s why I became an English teacher. Although I could always explain why reading was important as a practical skill, I really wanted to be able to explain why reading was MORE than just a … Continue reading You are smarter than any computer
Little House in the Suburbs 