It was the rudest of awakenings, hearing the screen of our bedroom window—our third floor bedroom window—being rattled violently in the middle of the night. I leapt out of bed and raced over, fearing one of our cats—Bonnie Agnes or Boots Louise—was nudging the screen loose and might soon be falling three stories. Sure enough,
“Why Didn’t You Tell Someone?” Yeah…no. Don’t ever ask that question of a sexual abuse survivor. From experience, I can honestly say that question will cause the victim to feel more like they’re being blamed than supported. It’s as if you’re saying, “You messed up,” rather than, “I’m here for you.” So what should you say
If only… “If only we had more money.” Just ten years ago, I was saying that line on a weekly basis since there was always more week than money. That all changed when Tony Bear and I gave Financial Peace a chance. Dave Ramsey to the rescue Financial Peace is a program (and a book*) by
(by Sarah Eshleman) After resigning from teaching two years ago, I could no longer run from the mounds of books I had collected over the years in hope of reading one day. It was my dirty secret: I taught writing classes for seven years and earned an MFA, but I was still no good at
It was my friend Pascha’s picture that stopped my scrolling finger, that eventually led me to the vida low carb. Not only was she toned and trim, she possessed a sleek felinity. I want that, I thought. Beneath Pascha’s photo, she’d written, “This is what I used to look like and now I know why—because
Basement Repair Guy: Why did you wait so long to call? Me: Because I thought our foundation might be cracked and it would cost $30,000 to fix. Basement Repair Guy: “So your husband Shop-Vac’d 90 gallons of water off your basement floor every time there was a hard rain? For 20 years?” Me: (hanging head)
Beneath the photo of her flooded home, my friend DeeDee’s June 23, 2016 Facebook status read: “One day can change everything.” My heart sank. Over the course of more than a year, via Instagram, I watched DeeDee and Bobby Lewis build their dream home on the banks of the Elk River in Clay County, West
Death and dying freak me out. Scratch that. Death and dying used to freak me out. About a dozen years ago, I lost five loved ones in less than two years: my father-in-law, my grandmother, my aunt, my father, and Nana, my grandmother-in-law. That season pretty much desensitized my death phobia. I was sitting in
Not long ago, to bless our oldest child, I drove her Honda Civic to the carwash down the street. So there I was, popping quarters into the pay-to-vacuum machine, crashing her floor mats together like cymbals, and enthusiastically q-tipping her coin holder slots. Soon after, a twenty-something boy parked next to me. When the vacuum’s
Not a week goes by that someone doesn’t rave to me or Tony-Bear about how great our kids are. Honestly, I don’t think we can claim all the credit. Besides our efforts, I feel two additional factors were at play. 1) They’re really great kids, and 2) I believe our faith has a lot to
