loss

The Gift of Friendship

Last weekend, my dear childhood friend and her four smiling children came for a visit. Her husband works for a university and was out of the country teaching for a while. We thought it would be a great opportunity to see... Continue reading →

The Perfect Beach Weekend

Matt and I spent the weekend at the beach. Friday evening was cold. As we climbed the stairs to the beach house, the wind howled and stung our skin. The next morning, it was still chilly. However, as we prepared... Continue reading →

The Mask of a Grieving Parent

Grieving parents wear masks. Sometimes the face that you see is real, and other times it is not our face at all, but rather a mask. We wear masks because we fear that some people don’t want to know how... Continue reading →

A Father’s Perspective

I wanted a boy. When we first found out Sarah was pregnant, there was no doubt in my mind about what we were having: Sarah was going to give birth to our first child, our first son. We were both... Continue reading →

Five Years Ago

Today, five years ago, a handsome man walked up the stairs towards me with a smile on his face. I had no idea that he would eventually become my husband.  On that first date we went to the grocery store... Continue reading →

Love, Marriage, and the Media

A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to interview dozens of people for a video we were creating for our youth group. The question that I posed was simple, “What is love?” The answers were fascinating. Some people... Continue reading →

A lot of Reasons to Smile

As luck would have it, my first afternoon duty of February was scheduled for another rainy day.  As the clouds rolled in and spewed thousands of rain drops, I shook my head.  “Seriously?” I thought to myself.  As the wind... Continue reading →

Six Unexpected Months

During my pregnancy with Isabelle, we attempted to prepare for the craziness that would come with having a baby in the house. Additionally, we began to prepare for the idea that it would never be just the two of us... Continue reading →

Certain Unalienable Rights

From the moment Isabelle was conceived, she was loved. I loved her despite the waves of nausea and complete exhaustion that plagued my workdays. I loved her even more with each glass of wine that I did not drink and... Continue reading →