Author: nicole

Sometimes it feels like we’re on the same team and sometimes it feels like we’re not even playing the same sport. Have you ever felt that way with people? I know I have.

Whether it’s a playful difference of opinion or a deeply rooted divergence in values, I hope at the end of the day, we can say we loved people ... Read More


My friend, who is an elementary school teacher, had the most amazing experience the other day. She got to present a high school diploma to one of her former second graders!

As a little girl, the student wanted to be just like her teacher. Now a decade later, she’s on the path to making that happen.

My friend is kind and caring ... Read More


I have a theory: I think our world is like our bodies.

We become healthy with tiny, day-by-day good decisions. Maybe we go for a walk. Or say no to that second piece of pie. Or have a cup of tea instead of another rum and Coke.

Some of those decisions are hard. We have to be intentional about remembering the bigger ... Read More


I see the anger and division happening in our country. I know you see it, too. How can we not?

People are working so hard to heal the brokenness once and for all, but along with that comes more fear, more disagreements about the best way to create change and more distance between people.

Good will come of this. I’m certain of ... Read More


I interviewed Jason Mraz for “The Kindness Podcast” last week about his new album coming out in June, “Look for the Good.”

When I asked him to share one story of kindness that really affected him, he went back decades, to the beginning of his career. He told me about being a starving musician and about the ... Read More


I went to bed Saturday night filled with grief for my Fargo. I say “my Fargo” because after living there for ten years and having two babies in its hospitals, it became mine.

I began getting updates online when the peaceful protest turned violent. My heart ached for the downtown shop owners who waited to see if the front windows ... Read More


Every once in a while we get a wake-up call reminding us to pay attention. Sometimes it’s big, like five years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer. Sometimes it’s small, like the email I got from my friend, Galo, in California.

Galo sent me the link of a teacher reading a book to the graduating class ... Read More


As people slowly emerge from their homes and tentatively begin venturing out, I hope the care we’ve developed for each other only increases.

I’ve asked you to send in your COVID Kindness stories and there are so many ways we are seeing kindness blossom in our communities.

From Joan in Fargo: “My dear friend left a care package outside our door recently ... Read More


My mornings have taken on a predictable and comforting cadence since the start of COVID19.

Every morning I shuffle out to the living room couch that sits in front of a big picture window. I love having my coffee and talking with God and looking at the changes Mother Nature continues to unveil each day. It’s amazing to watch a ... Read More