We often ask how we can help change the world, but true change begins in our own homes and hearts. True change begins with raising a generation to love wholeheartedly, run to Jesus first, and aim to be less judgmental and more forgiving. At the heart and soul of a healthy family does not mean…
My husband, Jim, and I got married in 1988 on a frozen, snowy January day in Indiana. After our wedding, I joined him at Eastern University (then Eastern College) in Philadelphia, PA, where he studied for an MBA and I studied for a degree in sociology. We lived in a tiny apartment on the third…
Turn ordinary routines into extraordinary memories The other day, my husband and I were talking about how we desperately need to attend a carnival because it would be unordinary (because we are in our late twenties and have a one year old), and extraordinary (because it would remind us of our youth). We can walk…
Despite withered arms marked with age spots and dark purple lesions, the kind that happen to those who have lived long and whose bodies are preparing a final farewell to this life, his presence still commanded respect and attention. As he celebrated his ninety-fifth birthday this month, my imperfectly perfect grandpa began to share memories…
It seems everywhere we turn, there are voices granting us permission to fail. This permission to fail and still be loved—this grace—is a beautiful thing, right? Without it, we would forever feel defeated. We’d define ourselves by failure instead of acceptance. But failure isn’t the same thing as quitting. Failure says we were on a…
