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in Back Roads to Belonging· Belonging

Last week, we thought we were gonna have to put our dog down. She couldn’t walk, eat, drink, or use the bathroom regularly. And let me tell you, this dog is beloved. B-E-L-O-V-E-D. Our chocolate lab, Georgie, has solid territory in our hearts, and really, I surprise myself at how smitten I am with her. Until recent years, I was…
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Am I Going Out of My Way to Be Mean or Kind?

in (In)Courage· Back Roads to Belonging· Family

That was not the case here. Nor had it been the case for a while. More and more frequently, I noticed my older child “stirring the pot” to the point that his sibling’s feelings genuinely got hurt, and I worried about what would be next. I care deeply about the relationships between the people under my roof; I’m not willing…
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Choosing Thoughtfulness over Defensiveness

in (In)Courage· Belonging· Colorado· Courage· Seasons

I unwrap my brand spankin’ new 2021 calendar, the old timey kind made of card stock that you hang up somewhere like it’s the 1900s. I love new calendars, and I love fresh starts. But this year, I’m disheartened to find several of the same old disturbing problems following me into 2021. Certainly, I find this to be true in my…
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Letting Go of Expectations and Letting in the Light

in (In)Courage· Advent· Change· Faith in Action· Girl Meets Change· Seasons

After reading Myquillyn Smith’s philosophy about how lamp light can “sprinkle some cozy” and improve the mood of a room, especially in the winter, I put on my shoes, grab the car keys and my purse, and skedaddle myself off to the Home Goods store. With the sky-climbing Rockies just to the west of us, it gets dark mighty early this time of…
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Looking Back and Looking Ahead

in Advent· Parenting· Teens· Thanksgiving

This past Thanksgiving, I placed my china plates on our dinner table, just as I’ve done since 1995. They come out from their hiding place in the hutch every holiday we’re home, and often for impromptu tea parties in-between. As I sat a plate at each chair, I remembered how its pattern is a classic compromise between my husband and…
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When You Don’t Want to Run the Race

in Uncategorized

At one time or another in your life, and maybe that time is right now, you’ll feel flattened and despondent from what is being asked of you. In a season when I felt the same, I shared what I was going through with my friend, Alli. The crux of my agony and angst was this: I was plumb terrified to…
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When Change Piles on Top of Change–and the Dread Piles on Top of You

in Change

When I saw the little snowflake icon on my phone for Tuesday and Wednesday, I just about ran screaming up Pike’s Peak. I know that sounds dramatic. And yeah, the longtime locals ’round here will say, “That’s just Colorado!” And they’d be right. Still, I was heartsick that a freeze this early could end our fall season before it even…
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Get Back Roads to Belonging for $1.99!

in Back Roads to Belonging· Belonging· Books· Change· Uncategorized

Howdy, friend! One year ago this month, you may have been one of the dear folks who helped me send this book into the world. And since you liked the book enough to share it with your own friends and family, I thought you might be interested in knowing that right now you can get the e-book version of it…
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When Awkward Leads to Awesome: The Gift of Difficult Conversations

in (In)Courage· Belonging· Friendship

I run around our dining-living-kitchen room like I do before company comes over, making sure there isn’t too much dog hair on the sofa or too little water in the garage sale pitcher with sunflowers. I peek into the oven and see the peach crisp is finished baking. I turn off the oven, but I leave the dessert inside. I…
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When You Want to Belong, Try This

in (In)Courage· Belonging

I can still remember the exciting summer of ’91 before my senior year of high school, when educator Marva Collins came to my Oklahoma hometown. While I hadn’t heard of Marva Collins before that time, I learned she was a big deal in the education field who’d been featured in Time, Life, and Newsweek magazines. Ms. Collins and her good…
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A Giveaway for Some Beloved Folks

in Giveaway· Military

If you’ve been around this watering hole a while, I hope you’re receiving regular(ish!) fresh air encouragement that helps you see your life and circumstances through the filter of God’s care and provision. I hope you find a story or two here that helps make sense of your own and helps you see your season with more hope and less worry. …
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Month of the Military Child: A Prayer for Military Kids

in Change· Girl Meets Change· Loss· Military· Prayer

I know we all have a lot of topsy-turvy crazy in our life right now, but I couldn’t let this month–Month of the Military Child–fade into the rearview mirror without lifting up and celebrating the youngest of those serving our country. In these current times, I can’t help thinking of our military families all the more. As I wrote before,…
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On Instagram

This week brought to you by family heart-to-hearts This week brought to you by family heart-to-hearts around the fireplace, tulips on the table, and my first trip of the year to the garden store. ⁠⁠
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Never underestimate the ministry of flowers for you and your family. ⁠⁠
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"Home is never simply a threshold you cross. It is a place you make and a place that might make—or unmake—you. In this halfway space, we would begin to learn the costs of stepping into the role God first gave in a garden: to be, like Adam and Eve, the makers and caretakers of a particular place." ⁠⁠
~Christie Purifoy (@christiepurifoy), in her stellar book Placemaker ⁠⁠
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#backroadstobelonging
Holler if you're a fellow expert at coming up with Holler if you're a fellow expert at coming up with worst-case scenarios and making plans to divert them. ⁠⁠ 📣
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In this particular case, I thought I had foreseen every possible problem. I took measures to ensure the best possible outcome. I’m not talking about anything outlandish or expensive. Rather, I used good ol’ hard work and productivity to take care of things responsibly.⁠⁠
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And then came the turn of events only God saw coming, and all my forethought and “responsible planning” didn’t amount to a hill of beans. I didn't asked for or want this outcome, but it was what I had.⁠⁠
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Yeah, it's easier for me to daily assess the risk of doing something than to lean into trust.⁠⁠
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I write more about this at my second online writing home, @incourage. Visit the link in my profile to read more. 💛
I belong where it will snow in April (and May!), b I belong where it will snow in April (and May!), but where spring always comes, eventually. ⁠⁠
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Where do you belong today?⁠⁠
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#whereIbelongWednesday
Remember my post from a few weeks ago about our fr Remember my post from a few weeks ago about our friend Ryan, a USAF vet, who lost all all feeling and control from mid chest down due to a sudden spinal stroke?⁠⁠
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This is his wife, Rebecca, and she is one of my dearest friends in the whole wide world.⁠⁠
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Sometimes when a change comes that turns our world upside down, God works through others to turn it right side up again.⁠⁠
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This gal has surely been a turn-the-world-right-side-up gal in my life, and now I'd love it if *we* could help do the same for her.⁠⁠
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As Ryan undergoes physical therapy and rehab in the spinal cord unit of the VA hospital in Denver, we would like to help Ryan and Rebecca defray the many costs not covered by insurance following this spinal stroke, such as:⁠⁠
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▫️Outfitting Ryan and Rebecca’s home for needs regarding Ryan’s limited mobility.⁠⁠
▫️An outfitted vehicle that’s wheelchair accessible.⁠⁠
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These needs and several more are on Ryan and Rebecca's own dime, and they cost a shockingly WHOLE LOTTA DIMES. ⁠⁠
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If you're interested in helping with these needs and/or sharing about it with your people, please check out the link to our fundraiser in my profile.⁠⁠☑️
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Swipe to see a pic of Ryan and Rebecca and a pic of the GoFundMe page.⁠⁠
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And on behalf of Ryan and Rebecca, thank you for your continued prayers!⁠⁠❤️
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