Category: Be Brave

I have a few friends who spent time living in Europe while their husbands were stationed in the military. They recently informed me in Europe it’s customary to give gifts and pay for dinner when it’s your birthday.

As in, “It’s my birthday, so today I will pay!”

I think my friends are saying this because they’re hoping to get a ... Read More


Early in our marriage, my husband and I spent a lot of time together in the car. We’d go to the grocery store or out for dinner, Saul driving and me second guessing his every move from the passenger’s seat.

He always wanted to drive, which drove me nuts, because he likes to meander and I just want to get ... Read More


When we moved into our house four years ago, we hired a company to install an underground invisible fence in our yard. We wanted to keep our beloved GoldenDoodle, Dakota, safe from cars on the road and we wanted to keep our neighbors’ yards safe from Doodle doody.

We put a special collar on Dakota and walked her slowly and gently ... Read More


I was getting out of the shower the other morning when a sharp little pain shot through my right breast. For anyone keeping track, my right breast is the healthy one. It’s the left breast that was removed three years ago after a cancer diagnosis.

The towel caught my skin wrong and I flinched. My mind immediately filled with one ... Read More


Jason Kotecki is an artist and a speaker and (as evidenced by his blog below) a gifted writer. His jam is teaching people how to fight “adultitis” — that version of adulthood that says we have to be serious and play it safe and follow a bunch of made up rules. That’s a lesson I’m taking to heart, and I ... Read More


People in church always talk about salvation. Heaven. How someday we’ll get to be with Jesus. I’m a little embarrassed to say it, but those words never sold me on the whole idea of God.

Sure, I suppose I should have cared about my eternal home, but I’m not big into long term planning.

I’m a human and by no stretch of ... Read More


My friend got a new shirt the other day and I immediately had closet envy. Here it is:

Hysterical, right?

It reminds me of a t-shirt I have that says, “I can’t adult today” that I wear every time I feel overworked and under appreciated. It gives my kids an immediate heads-up in the morning that they better be putting their own ... Read More


I was about 11 when I started wearing makeup. Full on, entire lid covered, bright blue metallic eye shadow. My girlfriend and I wore it day and night for three weeks before our jazz dance teacher told us we couldn’t come back to class until we had agreed to a costume change.

After that, I was big into wearing anything I ... Read More


I used to pray, “Please God, make me into the mom these kids deserve.” I had three young, healthy, exuberant kids. They were thriving despite the fact that their mom was floundering.

That was seven years ago.

Today, those kids are (almost) 8, 12 and 14.

God’s done a work in me that only God could do. If I ever doubted His existence, ... Read More


Have you ever stopped to think about what you’re thinking about? If not, I challenge you to check in with yourself periodically today and do a spot-check. What am I thinking about at this exact moment?

My guess is that it falls into one of three categories: Hurry, Worry or Jury.

Hurry is that do-list constantly running through our heads. As soon ... Read More