On May 5 last year I posted a reel to Instagram where I said that I had never been on a date. (Here) Understandably people were like “Wait what?” I was married for nearly 20 years. I have nine children. And I had never been on an actual date, not counting “married dates” which is …
When this child was born, in my bed, in the bleak midwinter in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, my midwife from New Zealand stood over me, watching me give. I received him into my own hands and I laughed. She said, “I’ve never seen anything like it. If everyone had a birth like this, they would wonder what …
Years before our separation and divorce my ex-husband stopped celebrating our anniversary. He said he had no interest in it. I would still make an attempt every year because I kept trying to heal the brokenness with every tool at my disposal. The last year I tried I created a basket of all his favorite …
I have started this post multiple times and I have other iterations of it saved to drafts. It’s vulnerable. It’s a sensitive topic that not only may make others feel judged, it also makes me feel judged. But several of my beautiful readers have specifically asked I address this and so, here I am….doing some …
You may have stumbled upon this little corner of the internets because of columns I used to write for dating apps. Yes, I am divorced and annulled and have never actually dated. Those who can’t do, teach. Right? About a year and a half ago I suddenly stopped writing for dating apps. I tried to …
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5 I worked an insanely long double shift recently. And I got home so late, so hungry, but too tired to eat. I fell into bed completely exhausted. Morning prayers came early. Too early. I took my son to work and then went to daily …
L’Shana Tova! It’s the year 5783, according to the Hebrew Calendar. A day to wish those you love have their names inscribed in the Book of Life. G’mar hatima tova! For Jews, today is the birthday of creation. Recently I heard people discussing the age of the earth and how there is no way scientifically …
I met my friend Jenn the summer I was 17, while we were on a missions trip to Pakistan. It was one of the most formative summers of my life. At the end of the summer she went home to Washington and I went home to California. Every morning we sent one another a fax. …
When I gave birth to my first born child I thought (rightly so) that she was the most beautiful creature on God’s green earth. Although I had no idea how to parent her, no one could fault my love. I loved her so completely, I was so enraptured, I was sure no one had ever …
When I was a teenager I had a sign on the inside of my bedroom door that said, “Fear of what you might lose, hope of what you might gain, or love of what you might give?” It was a reminder to me as I left my room each day that I could choose the …
reconciling things 