“Baby, it’s cold outside.” 🥶 At times like this, I’m especially thankful for warm homes, steady heat, and cozy layers. It’s funny how easily we take those simple gifts for granted—until the cold really settles in. Photo by Anna Spoljar on Unsplash When the sun hits freshly fallen snow, it sparkles. As a little girl, I was convinced there were diamonds scattered everywhere. ✨ I felt such wonder watching it shimmer. I couldn’t wait to get outside and play in those “diamonds”—making snow angels...
14 days ago • 2 min read
Thank you for praying for Dave and me these past couple of months. Truly. May I tell you what God did? We didn’t see it coming either. Ever since moving to the Windy City, we’ve been renting. In our first twelve months here, we moved twice. Moving here isn’t simple—and it’s certainly not inexpensive. What we never imagined? Buying the condo where we currently live. I won’t bore you with the details, but I will say this: God arranged everything in such a way that we now own our condo outright....
28 days ago • 1 min read
Happy New Year. 🎉It’s the first full week of January 2026. How are you doing—really?Dave and I arrived home this weekend, and as I was settling back in, I found myself thinking about years past. There was a season when we spent the final days of the year and January 1 together in a retreat-like space—quiet, reflective, unhurried.As I closed out 2025 and stepped into 2026, I realized how much I missed that. We haven’t had that opportunity for several years now, and the ache surprised me.So I’m...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Can you believe it’s the last week of 2025? I don’t know about you, but this time of year always carries a mix of emotions for me—gratitude, relief, sadness, hope…sometimes all at once. Dave and I were able to connect with all our family on Christmas Day. We’re incredibly thankful for technology that made that possible. I thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of our whole clan. We feel deeply grateful for our family—though I’ll be honest, it hasn’t always been easy or healthy with...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Merry Christmas, dear one. 💛 Whether you’re bustling around getting ready for family or sitting quietly at home, I want you to know something: you are seen. You are heard and cherished. God loves you more than words can articulate. Immanuel—God with us. He is right there in your joy, your exhaustion, your quiet moments, and even the messy, messy ones. Not because you’ve done everything right, but because he adores you (Zephaniah 3:17). This Christmas, may you feel his presence in a fresh,...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Whether you’re celebrating this Christmas week with snow on the ground or palm trees swaying nearby, I’m praying childlike wonder fills your heart and soul in these days ahead. God continues to amaze us. Over the last couple of weeks, he opened doors we never saw coming—again. Isn’t that just like our faithful, loving God? From providing specialized medical care for a family member to securing a permanent home for us, we’ve watched him move past every obstacle. And I’ll be honest—we struggled...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Last night an arctic blast flew through our area. It’s a rather rude reality when you step outside the door today with a reminder that winter arrived early this season. My Christmas decorations, such as they are this year, are finally up. When we moved a couple years ago, friends sent a small tabletop Christmas tree to greet us in our new home. As we set it up this year and fluffed its smooshed branches, I smiled and thanked God for these thoughtful friends. Other decorations bring back...
2 months ago • 2 min read
It’s been a week. Full of schedule changes, cancellations, appointments, and a whole lot of hurry-up-and-wait. I told Dave I feel far behind in almost every area of my life.The balls keep dropping with no end in sight. Everything feels important—thankfully not urgent—but I still struggle to meet each deadline with grace and confidence. And even though I know God is with me, leading and steadying me, the doubts still pile up. Each day, I’ve reminded myself to be grateful because God continues...
3 months ago • 1 min read
The leaves are absolutely stunning around here these days. 🍁 I love the riot of colors and the gentle sound they make as they drift to the ground. Walking home from church this week, Dave and I found ourselves kicking through piles of leaves along the walkway—laughing as we remembered all those years of raking leaves into big heaps and tossing our kids into them. (Sometimes we jumped in too!) Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash I’m so grateful for simple joys like that. Maybe your life doesn’t...
3 months ago • 1 min read