Author: nicole

I woke up the morning of my mammogram feeling pretty crabby. I was anxious and worried and just plain frustrated with myself for feeling anxious and worried. I dropped the kids off at school and then had a heart-to-heart with God. “Hey God. I’m so sorry that I’m so ugly today. I’m not trusting you. I’m letting my fears get ... Read More

There is a woman in California who may love kindness even more than I do.

I know, it’s shocking. Her name is Marla and I’m thinking of road-tripping to sunny California to see if it’s true. I may even be able to write off the trip off on my taxes next year under the heading “research.”

I went to the doctor to celebrate my 40th birthday. It was a very routine womanly-type visit where all my special parts were to be inspected and tested for old age and hard living. I knew I’d pass. I passed all the other times. I laughed outloud at the beginning of the breast exam when my lovely female doctor asked ... Read More

I’m turning the big 4-0 this week. When I was a kid, 40 sounded so old, but now that I’m here, I have to say I would never want to go back to being 20 or 30. My skin may be a little wrinkly, but it’s so much more comfortable at this age.

Heading into this monumental birthday, I gave myself ... Read More

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, I only have about 500 words to work with, so let’s hope that’s enough to draw a picture.

A few Saturdays ago, I wrote about my attempt to take my own life during my teenage years and the kindness found at that time in an Easter basket.

It always hurts to go back and relive a period of darkness, but I do it because always, without fail, reopening my wounds allows other people to share their own hurts and ... Read More

Being a coach’s wife has its perks. I got to take my kids to the NCAA Men’s Final Four basketball tournament this past weekend in Indianapolis.

For most people, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For the Phillips kids, it’s part of Daddy’s job. Sometimes I wonder if my children will ever realize they live a life many middle-aged men would trade their ... Read More

The Easter Bunny stopped showing up at my house around the time my parents got divorced. Come to think about it, Santa stopped showing up around then, too. I suppose it’s no great tragedy. I was in third grade or fourth grade, and I was the youngest child in our family. At some point, it was just time for everyone ... Read More

Every once in a while, a person comes into your life just for a season. We’d like it to be longer, but the gift we were given has an expiration date, and for one reason or another, the time comes when the season has ended and the person is gone.

Shortly after I started writing this column back in 2011, I ... Read More

I am so sick of cancer. I am sure for many of you, that is the understatement of the century, but it pretty well describes how I’m feeling right now.

I just found out that cancer is messing with yet another one of God’s beautiful creations. This time, it’s my friend’s mom. She had a double mastectomy last week and is ... Read More