This darn holiday. It shouts "Hail to mothers everywhere! Blessed and exalted are you among women!" and leaves the TTC in the cold feeling like outcasts. If mothers are especially blessed does that make us especially cursed? But regardless of our tender feelings, how can we forgo brunch, babies, and sentimental gifts without dishonoring our own mothers? If you've read my blog, you know I'm all for making alternative plans on tough celebrations like baptisms, Easter, and - ye

The first thing I want to say to you, reader, is thank you! Thank you for taking the time to look outside of yourself to offer comfort and encouragement to a friend who is struggling with infertility. You are likely already a mother or even a grandmother. If so, your life is filled with diaper changes, feedings, nap schedules, and posting or viewing posts of your little darlings on Instagram. For you, Mother's Day (coming up on May 14th) is a cause for celebration! A time to

Hi Blog Friends! Mother's Day was always an especially difficult holiday for me when we were struggling with infertility. You too? That's why I've created this "10 Ways to Survive Mother's Day" cheat sheet. We are just a few days away from the big day, so I hope you'll make plans to treat yourself kindly this Mother's Day. The best choice you can practice is to hold on to hope, a daily decision with big payoffs in terms of maintaining your sanity and enjoying life, even durin

Dear Waiting Mama, The weeping cherries I pass on my evening power-walk look like fireworks this spring. A few short years ago, these same trees appeared to be bowed in mourning. Bursting with blossoms of alabaster and rose, the trees have not changed, but I have. At 32, and nearly five years into failed infertility treatment, I had discovered that life was not like the Choose Your Own Adventure novels I'd torn through in sixth grade. It was more like a story of "God choo

Just before spring's arrival, how do we fight the despair that threatens to drown us?

I received the rare gift of a snow day yesterday . I slept until 8 a.m., enjoyed a leisurely reading of my Advent devotion, and sipped two cups of tea without the workday rush. I even threw in a load of laundry. My life seemed nearly perfect for about an hour. Then I pulled out my favorite (read: only) pair of Christmas jammies from the dryer. The ones I wear every Christmas morning while my hubby and kids unwrap gifts in front of a crackling fire in the wood stove. Half of t

When I wake in the middle of the night obsessing, I know I must write. First, a history lesson. The United States effectively ended the king's rule on July 4, 1776, with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The DoI formalized the colonies' separation from the British monarch, King George III. Had the king triumphed and America lost the Revolutionary War, our founding fathers would’ve faced severe punishment for treason, including execution by hanging, beheading, o

Yesterday, I spent my birthday at my parents' lake cottage basking in the gentle Michigan sunshine and wrapped in the love of my people. Laughter flows when we're together. I've witnessed many a family where conflict is a monster stomping about the room so I'm grateful for the peace in my tribe. We simply get each other; that alone is a gift.

If you are not a person with a biblical worldview, you may find this post offensive. The true Gospel is offensive to sinful human beings--including ME! However, as offensive as God's truth may be, Christians are not excused from telling it as following God's truth leads to abundant life! (1 Corinthians 1:23-25).

Our ties to each other have little to do with blood or proximity, and everything to do with our willingness to open our lives to each other.

*Foul language warning* You fascist! You Nazi! You bigot! You transphobe! You piece of sh!t! You. Are. GARBAGE! The above are insults...

When we draw close to our Father, we stop striving to construct our own gospels and yield to scriptural truth.

I hope this short story awakens you to the power of forgiveness this Advent season.

I will never forget the Jesus window in my childhood church. It's where I fixed my gaze when my knees shook and I felt ready to toss my...

Do you have a favorite necklace? If you're a Fancy Nancy, your bling is likely adorned with diamonds and pearls. If you're more of a...

I saw this meme circulating on Facebook. I haven't stopped thinking about it since. What kind of a world do I want to live in?

A Letter to Sinners My problem is I wanna follow Jesus and slap people, too. I made eye contact with the lady in the trendy graphic tee...

When you hear the word "political", what springs to mind? If you're anything like me, you might be scrunching up your nose right now as...

March is Women's History Month and there has never been a more important time to celebrate real women. In case there is any doubt, I'm...

If you've felt tired and snappish lately. If the people you love most feel more like a burden than a blessing...try these 15 tips.