Tag: gratitude

Have you ever had a MONDAY that lasted all day?

I had one a few weeks ago and it wasn’t pretty.

I woke up crabby. I took my son to school crabby. I went to Pickleball crabby. Then the crabby turned to sad. I ate cookies sad. I read a book sad. I took a nap sad.

Eventually, I wandered into my office ... Read More


I can remember my anger like it was yesterday. It happened 29 years ago, and yet I can still see myself yelling, stomping and slamming a bedroom door.

I was a junior in high school and a boy invited me to visit him at his college two hours from our hometown.

We weren’t dating. We were just friends and he thought I’d ... Read More


Someone out there today needs an important reminder. Maybe it’s you. Here it is:

God is still in the business of miracles.

God is still providing a way.

God is so big and yet concerned about the tiniest details in your life.

I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes because of a miracle He has produced in our lives. Someday I’ll get to ... Read More


I don’t love social media.

If anyone from my kindness team is reading this, they are rolling their eyes right now, because that statement is a massive understatement.

I love having real conversations with real people, but anything over a computer feels a little forced to me. (Can you tell I was born before home computers were a thing?)

I used ... Read More


I walked past the green and red shoeboxes and my heart caught just a little bit. I was in the middle of Hobby Lobby and my senses were overwhelmed with plaid pillows, glittery ornaments and ceramic Santas. But it was the tidy stack of boxes that held my attention.

Those boxes are a connection to the precious innocence of my now-teenage ... Read More


The awesome thing about living in a small town is that we get to see celebrities on a regular basis. We’ll be at the grocery store, standing in the cereal aisle when all of a sudden, BOOM!, Celebrity Sighting!

It’s just the coolest. My kids will back away shyly, barely able to make eye contact, waiting for the celebrity speak first.

They ... Read More


I feel like I’m writing our annual Christmas letter either three months early or nine months late.

Jordan’s a junior now and excelling at everything…

Charlie is a freshman in high school and learning to drive. Everyone stay off the sidewalks! HaHaHa!

At age 10, Ben is still a fishing enthusiast…

I took the summer off from my blog, newsletter and ... Read More


The resilience we’ve each had to learn through COVID will be a tool we rely on for the rest of our lives. That’s certainly one benefit of the last few months.

One more benefit I’ve seen is the realization that little things really do matter. I used to get caught up in the hustle, and sometimes I still do. More often, ... Read More


Sometimes we get numb to certain words. Phrases like, “How are you?” or “I’m praying for you,” or “You’re in my thoughts,” should mean something, but oftentimes they are said so flippantly that they begin to lose their meaning.

Gretchen Robinson, from South Hill, Va., found the power of kindness that lives in those words during a recent health crisis.

“A couple ... Read More


Can you believe some people aren’t huggers? I’m going through hug withdrawal thanks to COVID, but I know other people who are grateful for the physical distancing rules.

I was speaking at a high school a few years ago when a shy girl walked up to me to share something painful that was on her heart. She talked about needing hope ... Read More