Encouragement

I’ll never forget that day in mid November in 2012. I was in Bible study and received a text from my sister. She discovered a lump near her collarbone and wanted to know which kind of doctor to call. My sweet precious friends stopped Bible study right then, and we prayed. I was certain it was nothing. My baby sister was only 25 years old, after all. She had an appointment for the coming Monday with her primary care physician. The doctor immediately ordered a battery of tests, including a biopsy to be done that Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Momma, Daddy, my sister’s fairly new boyfriend, and I sat in the waiting room laughing and joking and enjoying each...

It’s probably something many of us do, and without a clue. I know I am definitely one. It wasn’t until a while after I became a mom that I grew some kind of awareness of this topic, and it’s something I try to remind myself of when traveling along my personal journey to not only increasing my own self-compassion, but as I am striving for authenticity (or, ”being real”) as well—both as a mom and a person. The truth is that I’m not perfect. It’s easy to say, “well, nobody is perfect.” But until we truly resonate with how such simple words translate into our own lives and live in our psyche, it’s practically unconscious and can affect us in...

I used to love the holidays.  Thanksgiving and Christmas were my annual highlights.  I relished the decorations, the music, the food, and the overall jolly spirit.  That laid-back attitude of enjoyment has subsided in recent years and has become overshadowed by stress, panic, disappointment, and comparison.  Now when I think about the impending holiday, a growing dread comes over me.  I obsess over gift-giving.  I worry about family expectations.  I procrastinate and then live on edge until Christmas is over.  This is not okay.  Baby Jesus did not intend this for me on His birthday.  I long for a Christmas that is beautiful and low key and fulfilling.  I want laughter and smiles not tears and overwhelmed sighs. The last...

“Be thankful for what you’ve got” We all know the phrase, we’ve all said it before in some form to ourselves, to others, to our kids. Thing is, we don’t get it. We don’t really get it until something punches us in the gut. Sometimes it’s something that happens to us, sometimes something that almost happens, other times it’s what happened to family or close friends and every once in a while you get a glimpse of it’s true meaning through the words of a stranger: “We’re all terminal” she said to me. I met her a few weeks ago. She had won an award and was visiting Baton Rouge from across the country to receive it and be celebrated....

I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and I ran across this quote: "You can do anything but not everything." I paused. The rhythm I've developed when I scroll doesn't include stopping at the quotes. I follow some design feeds because I love to be inspired by beautiful things so when the quotes show up, I usually scroll... faster. NEXT. But this one stuck with me. I've been thinking about it ever since. The first four words are easy to digest, "You can do anything." Of course I can. Sure I can. ANYTHING. I'm so happy that it's not a new concept for me or my generation. My parents weren't necessarily intentional about having me believe that because it just WAS. I felt...