Oh no, the light is out. I’m in hot water. Rolling onto the crunchy gravel drive long past my high school curfew, something seemed off. The familiar porchlight that was always on until our last family member was safely inside, was dark. Either there had been a family emergency and they’d … [Read more...] about Parented by Porchlight
loss
Not What We Expected
It’s been six months since we said goodbye in the middle of a bizarre autumn cold snap. It should have been in the high 60s that day. But it wasn’t. Snow fell like grace in the late October wheat fields as we buried my momma. A strange blanket of comfort, as if God was saying, Unexpected … [Read more...] about Not What We Expected
Receiving the Baton
Certain slices of life mamas never forget. Like the early days and weeks after bringing new babies home from the hospital. I especially remember the part their grandma played. Each time my mama showed up at just the right time. Brought all the right treats. Did all the right things. … [Read more...] about Receiving the Baton
I Grew Up a Rich Girl
Friends, it has been a rough few weeks. I nearly lost my mama to a freak accident on June 21, and just 10 days later I lost my daddy to cancer. It was a blessing to hold Daddy’s hand over his last 72 hours, to whisper in his ear words I wish I’d said years ago, to see my still-healing mama care … [Read more...] about I Grew Up a Rich Girl
Learning to Lament
It was an ordinary Tuesday. As I made my way into the choir room, I remember seeing her older brother pacing outside the school office, waiting for her to be released from class. My childhood friend’s mother had died after a long illness when we were seniors in high school. I knew her mother … [Read more...] about Learning to Lament
This Isn’t Us: Grieving the Loss of Community
The sunny wheat field was full of multiple combines, dozens of workers, and several trucks. But it shouldn’t have been. It was one of the worst weeks in the small community’s history. Days earlier, my husband’s seven-year-old brother had suffocated in a truckload of wheat on their family … [Read more...] about This Isn’t Us: Grieving the Loss of Community