It was a God moment.

Occurring during a simple conversation, no fireworks or miracles present and yet, it was pivotal for us both.

On a long overdue lunch date with my sweet sister-friend, we let down our walls, opened up about our real life struggles, and spoke from our hearts.

I can still hear the words in my head like it was yesterday.  I’m ten years old and standing by the stove in my kitchen. OFF-OFF-OFF-OFF. The words slowly and systematically came out of my mouth, like this was normal for any ten-year-old. In our family, this was a regular nighttime ritual.

“Hello pumpkin, it’s good to see you!”

“I love you pumpkin!”

Those are the greeting words I received from my grandmother growing up. She called all her grandchildren “little pumpkins”. It was a term of endearment and love.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

And repeat and repeat….and…. well, you get the idea.

The average American family washes two loads of laundry per day, or up 10 loads of laundry per week! Can you relate?

It was a typical Sunday morning after a long week. The Sunday morning routine was well underway. Very familiar sounds could be heard in my home. Alarms buzzing with the wake-up call. Showers washing away the dirt and grime of the previous day…

Have you ever had a hangnail? They hurt, don’t they? Though called a hangnail, this pain-producing object is skin that becomes hard due to lack of moisture and forms like a jagged tag. Once you notice one on your hand, it is difficult to leave it alone.

Your bags are packed (notice how I mentioned bags…) you have your coffee in one hand and your purse in the other. You are officially ready for the road. This road trip specifically is a trip that you’ve never been on before. It’s a new road, an unknown adventure.

Since my days as a high schooler, I look forward in anticipation to the upcoming fashion trends of the fall!  Heading back to school with the right “look” was all too important. 

Morning--day--evening--night.

Sunrise--full sun--sunset--darkness.

The cycle of light and darkness is an amazing miracle created by God as described in Genesis 1:3-5(NIV):

“And God said, “Let there be light,”

Have you ever had a day that didn’t go as planned? I awoke to sunny skies and quickly packed a suitcase to head out to the airport for a late morning flight. Thinking about what to wear on the plane, I chose white jeans and a white jean jacket.

There has been a lot in the news lately - that isn’t anything I need to tell you. Stories that can leave us questioning, and maybe feeling unsteady. So today, I want to take you back to Proverbs 31.

“Higher, higher, higher… I want to go higher! Push me higher,” said the little girl on the swing to her daddy without fear or worry of the heights she would soar… 

As summer comes to a close, many are wrapping up road trips, weekend getaway plans, and vacation itinerations across the nation. If you've spent any time this summer on a road trip, you know one bad turn can upset everything.

Oh it’s defiant alright. This smile has not come without a few reps, a few tears and a few extra surrenders. This laughter is not without a deep sense of what I’ve lost and yet what I have. This belly laugh is not in absence of a painful reality, but a visceral understanding of the coexisting hope I have in Jesus. It is not in ignorance I giggle, it is in my deepest reality.

This summer, I sat enjoying the rhythm of the waves cresting on the beach, watching families play in the ocean waves. For me, there is nothing quite as relaxing as the beach.

There she stood. Nose pinched, eyes squinted closed, and toes curled at the edge of the pool. Her golden curls danced in the wind and sunlight of that summer day. She had mustered up the strength to try once more…

It was FINALLY time! The calendar had reached the dates that I had been waiting for--the words read V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N.  A trip had been planned to see friends and family in the state of Indiana. The week would start in Terre Haute, then we would travel on to the Fort Wayne area, and would end with spending some time on Lake Michigan.