It’s behind locked doors, in the darkness and stillness of her bedroom that her thoughts, her feelings, her fears come alive. She sits, she stews, she wonders, what will happen; what will come next. As she hears the rumble of intense conversation seeping in from her parent’s room next door, she struggles to escape her reality. It wasn’t long ago, family took on a different meaning. Now torn, fractured, undone, the past only leaves for memories...

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he...

It was a friendship that began at the age in life when crooked teeth didn’t matter, expressing yourself through fashion meant mismatched socks, and our hairdos were still a part of mom’s morning schedule. Slumber parties, horseback riding lessons, band concerts; what more could two friends do together? It was in the same third grade class where the two of us first met. She quickly became one of my best friends. I was tall, she was short; she...

After weeks on our toes, cameras in hand, the inevitable occurred. Of course while mom was gone, dad was working, and no one other than grandpa was in sight. The “first steps”! Arie decided the lack of pressure and audience was best for his debut of strolling across the living room, leaving a total of fifteen footsteps behind. Since that moment, our lives, and better yet our house, has never been the same. From raising Grammy’s “pretties” to...

For the most part, and by God’s grace, I would like to believe that Jeff and I live this life with a good amount of positivity. Although daily challenges arise and frustrations occur, we have learned to hunker down, say a prayer and march in forward motion. Bu t… there is one thing I must admit that tends to leave us in a bit of a rut, literally sometimes a ditch, not just emotionally but physically; that being issues with “the” ramp. Before...

The other day while waiting at a stoplight, I reached back and gently placed my hand around the corner of my baby’s car seat. Without being able to see his face, and only toes in frame, I felt his little soft fingers begin gripping onto mine. No words, no noises, just silence, but so much said as our hands connected. As he clutched, I slowly outlined his fingers, rubbing over his nail beds and knuckles, his hands so soft, so perfect, not one...

Ladies, this one’s for you. Let’s be honest, you know what I’m talking about when I refer to that one white tank top, that one you wear under everything, the one that has the dingy white pits, no matter how many times you wash it? And if you don’t know what I’m talking about then this blog entry is not for you! For those of you that can relate, you know the limitations to wearing this top, guarding onlookers to see it, as you perfectly pair it...