Category: Life

  • From Worry to Gratefulness

    From Worry to Gratefulness

    The article below was written for my local newspaper, The Concord Monitor. Dread I used to dread fall.  If I lived in some run-of-the-mill part of the country, you might shrug your shoulders or even agree with me. But how can a person live in New Hampshire and dread fall at the same time? Why…

  • The Secret to Being the Best

    The Secret to Being the Best

    You want to be the best, don’t you? Why else would you work to get ahead in life? There’s always a higher goal to reach. There is always more money to be made, more followers to be had, and bigger ladders to climb. There is always someone telling you how to become the best version of…

  • When Worry Steals Your Joy

    When Worry Steals Your Joy

      Last week, I told you that my husband passed the oral defense of his dissertation—the culmination of a major, 4-year-long journey and a huge answer to prayer. The 24 hours that followed his passing held some major struggles for me. Here’s the story of my breakdown & God’s build-up…   “I passed.” I entertained approximately…

  • Stop Looking for the Perfect Friend

    Stop Looking for the Perfect Friend

      “I think you have a skewed view of friendship.” These words came from my husband after I had just bemoaned to him for the umpteenth time about my friendship struggles. I received his words in the best possible way, of course, and replied, “You don’t understand. You’ve always had a lot of good friends.” I…

  • valentine’s day thoughts + reads

    valentine’s day thoughts + reads

    Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday this year. And I, for one, am glad. I tend to over-complicate holidays. I build up expectations – whether it’s Christmas, my birthday, or Valentine’s Day – and then I try to compensate for my skyscraper expectations by telling myself it doesn’t matter what happens, it’s just another day, and blahblahblah.…