Holding on to Everlasting Hope
“Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest: The soul, uneasy, and confin’d from home, Rests and expatiates in a life to come.” – Alexander Pope, “An Essay on Man” I came in from
Love and Toothpaste Tubes
Our three stairstep girls were in the back of the minivan as we drove to a friends’ house for supper. Collectively, I had labored thirty-eight hours to bring them into the world. I said, “Tomorrow’s Mother’s Day.” My husband groaned. “I knew you forgot.” He
My Child’s Grief Gave Me Permission to Feel
My six-year-old daughter wouldn’t touch the food on her plate. I asked what was wrong, but she shook her head. After clearing the table, I asked her to follow me back to our bedroom. Kindergarten can really wear her out, and
The Ice Storm
One month ago, a colossal ice storm swept through the southern states, snapping branches that, in turn, snapped powerlines and exploded transformers, knocking millions of people off the grid and forcing them to live as they’d reverted to the nineteenth
I Grew Up as a Caretaker’s Daughter
On Wednesday, my husband went to the doctor for an X-ray. When the results proved inconclusive, the doctor ordered a CAT scan. We texted back and forth while he waited. He told me it would be okay, but he had told
Love Is Not Love . . .
On Saturday, imbibed with joie de vivre, which always comes with spring weather, I asked my husband for a hammer and some finishing nails. Our girls followed me around. The seven-year-old asked, "What're you doing?" "I'm about to revolutionize this house." "What
How the Light Gets In
Two weeks have passed, so I can neither remember what my eldest daughter had been fussing about, nor why my response had been to stomp back the hallway and slam the washer door. When her behavior did not change, I told
Goodness and Mercy Shall Pursue Me
"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever." ~ Psalm 23:6 On Friday, my best friend and I took a walk around Vanderbilt
Follow the Light
My girls and I had spent most of the day cooped up in the house. Attitudes were fraying around the edges—including mine. Then I had an epiphany: a pajama hike! I told the girls to put on their pajamas, since it
Original Watercolor Giveaway Inspired by How the Light Gets In
I don’t know a stronger woman than Anna Floyd, and I know many strong women. I first met Anna close to ten years ago through a mutual friend. I was a newlywed, and Anna was finishing up her nursing degree.