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I knew her. I heard the gossip before the media even caught a whiff. It was a small town, and something this scandalous wouldn't be slow to spread.  I knew her. A lot of us did. She was my PE teacher throughout elementary school. I knew her. I was shocked but also not surprised. I had been in those tanning beds—the ones where she had hidden video cameras and captured young girls undressing. I imagine most of us in our small town held our breath as, one by one, the girls who could be identified were notified that they been...

When I turned 16, I fully believed my parents would make all of my dreams come true: I would wake up with a bright yellow Miata parked outside with a bow on it. Top-down, Guns n' Roses blaring, I would race off to pick up 15 of my closest friends. Precious. Reality was slightly different. My cheesy parents had wrapped my actual gift four box layers deep (using two rolls of tape). When I finally found the end, there was my gift: the keys to the first car my mom had bought herself when she graduated from college. A 1973...

I think events and holidays can often come with tag-along expectations that reality can never quite accommodate. The day after, that emptiness can feel like grief. I didn't do enough. I didn't make it magical. I didn't remember to enjoy it. I didn't….fill in the blank.For me, I am so tired. We had a good spring break, but it wasn't restful. We came home late, then spent Easter day cleaning up our house and de-pollinating (is that even a word? It is now) our backyard so a few friends could come over to hunt eggs. I didn't do a great...

This morning I came outside, and it's like overnight; half the trees came to life. They were dormant sticks literally yesterday, and today here they are, transformed into shades of dark and light greens, reds, yellows, whites, and pinks. Just like that. Boom. They are FULL of new growth. It has been a heavy season full of "no's." It is so easy to get discouraged in the moment, even when everything I know to be true is that life is FULL of good, full of hope, full of beauty. I decided to sit with my good Father and just ask....

Last Mother's Day, my family surprised me with a pecan tree.  I LOVE pecan trees!  I personally think they are the most beautiful of all the trees.  We picked the perfect spot for it to thrive:  this alone is worth celebrating because it indicates that I have FINALLY learned to plant things with their mature size in mind.  Bless my heart.  Half of the things I've added to our flowerbeds cling to the house like they have separation anxiety.   One day, the puppy I had equally dreamed of noticed that baby pecan tree, and within half a minute, he...