An extraordinary exchange

I’ve been thinking a lot about advice I’ve heard over the years: Make the leap! Choose adventure! Climb every mountain! Take a risk! Go out on a limb! And then I thought of my mom’s mantra: Stand, and stand firm. She didn’t run from trials or back down from challenges. She knew they would make […]

If my journey to strong, emotional health has taught me anything, it’s this: You must feel in order to heal. In my opinion, there is no way around this.  Feelings are the body’s emotional response to sensations, thoughts and events. It’s how we process the ups and downs of life (and everything in between). If […]

I’m going to be vulnerable here and tell you that this week, I allowed myself to process regrets I had regarding my mom. Such a painful exercise but one that I wanted to do because they deserve space to be acknowledged, processed and then put in their place. Over the last year, I had been […]

I have such a heart to help people move through their pain. It was just a few years ago that I was struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, insecurity and low self-worth. I honestly didn’t struggle with these things until I was an adult and thankfully, God brought a beautiful gift into my life (my counselor, […]

The days were long and also so precious. The hospital only allowed one visitor per 24-hour period so my sister-in-law, Sarah, pushed hard (all the way to the top) for the hospital to allow both my dad and me to be there with my mom each day. I am SO grateful for this gift because […]

I set up my bed for the night, plugged in my phone and put the bluetooth speaker on instrumental worship. I turned on the diffuser and dropped in a splash of Valor because this was a night to be brave. I had the nurse come in and disarm the bed alarm. After she closed the […]

As I sat down beside him with my plate from the buffet, I tuned in to the conversation he was having with the group. “I was the guy who tested the new planes,” he shared, referring to his time in the military during WWII. “A lot of times they still needed work.” He went on […]

I have woken up the last two days with a heavy heart for a mom who is going through a lot right now. And although I don’t know her personally, empathy and compassion bring me to a place of intense prayer for her. She is walking out the consequences of her past choices being brought […]

I feel compelled to write today because I want to share some practical ways of navigating through these difficult days. The world seems so heavy right now and believe me, I understand the weight of heavy. This scripture is my mantra right now: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may […]

The significance of today’s graduation ceremony was in no way lost on me. Seven years ago, as I started counseling, there were a couple key dates in my mind as I wondered what my future mental state would be. Luke’s high school graduation was one of them. I have contemplated many times over what the […]