On this day, the day before my debut novel is released to the world, I think back on the road that led me here. During the first serious conversation with a publisher, they all but insisted that I remove some of the God content in my novel. Another publisher, a Christian one, strongly suggested that I …
A month or so after my last blog post about the flood, I began feeling ill. I wasn’t alarmed because I knew I was simply tired from all the running Larry and I had been doing to help others in the flood aftermath. We’d been cooking 2-3 full meals in shifts for each breakfast lunch …
When I told my husband goodbye in our foyer as the water was rising and we were rushing to evacuate, I felt that familiar uncertainty and fear of not knowing when I would see him again. Any time he deployed, I’ve felt it. This time, though, I felt despair, fear, even a little hurt and …
I recently went on a Girl’s Day with some of my closest friends. Most men (especially those without a sister) think of Girl’s Day and automatically picture a host of women lined up in a spa getting their nails done or sitting around bashing their mates and complaining about their children. However, the truth is for …
On February 14, 2012, we received the news that my mother had terminal cancer. Not only three months before, on my birthday, our father passed away in his sleep. It was devastating. For the first few days, she seemed fine. She went through pictures with my sister, Wendy, and me, deciding which ones she wanted …
I was inspired to write this blog post while editing the book. There are only minor spoilers from the book so feel free to read! I hope you enjoy both! It seems every time I tell someone my favorite flower they have the similar reaction of others before them… which goes a little like this: …
I immediately knew what was going to happen after the third word, “Hey, I saw you the other day!” the strange voice coming up behind my husband and me said. It was someone who noticed me from a Shell station, Starbucks drive thru, traffic light, etc. “You were pulling out of that hotel.” My face …
Who do our kids get their silliness from? Both of us. Oh, don’t get me wrong they cultivate it themselves, but yes, we are the original trainers of the silliness. I remember the first time Alexis and Jaymes-Irish joined forces and turned the tables on me in the busy grocery store. I was on a …
It was the most beautiful and sad thing I’d ever seen and it expressed emotions that (at the time) I couldn’t put into words. It was 1992 and soon after our son was born, my husband and I were in Virginia visiting some friends and came across “The Farewell” in an art gallery. Larry had …
I am constantly reminded of just how imperfect I am. One thing I do believe about myself is that I love people. I try to understand their issues and hope I can get the same in return. I also try to accept people where they are in life because God accepts me where I am. …
When my daughter’s high school theater production ended a few weeks ago the director gathered all the students in the theater afterwards to talk a bit before she dismissed them. And I was shocked by what many of them said, including my own daughter. During the practices and performances, it was clear that the cast …
I was talking to my husband’s grandmother a few weeks ago, Mawmaw Lock, whom I love dearly. She talked about guilt over one issue after another. One thing she kept mentioning is that she felt guilty for not calling me back sooner and kept putting it off for fear I was upset with her. I …
I discarded the first post I wrote for this occasion. Just two days before I sent it to the recycle bin, it read like one would typically expect as I talked about our son, who is soon departing for the Air Force. However, recently life took a turn that caused the first blog to be …
When Jaymes-Irish first decided he wanted a baby sister, he knew exactly what he wanted her to be like. In March of that year, The Lion King had come out on VHS and J.I. was a true Lion King fan (sporting the pajamas and slippers with the puffy lion head on them). When he asked …
Sometimes it seems like yesterday. The day in a young man pulled out in front of my vehicle. I was going 45 mph, so the impact was devastating. Days afterward, I learned that my car flipped two and a half times. The moment my vehicle started to roll, I passed out. God obviously knew I …
I knew a lady who I thought was extremely rude. Every time I saw her, she was frowning. It seemed she just couldn’t help herself. I seriously stressed over how much I disliked this woman. She never smiled, which to me is rude. She walked with a limp and I had to assume she was …
Rummaging through some old pictures I came across this photo, one of My Aunt Gail and me at my wedding nearly 22 years ago. She was an award winning Home Economics teacher and Mardi Gras costume maker. My Aunt Gail taught me many aspects about etiquette and basic principles of household; from the simple to the elaborate. She made sure …