‘Why do we live here?’
Early in my post-college life, I experienced a season of intense depression and anxiety. Something I found helpful during that time was acknowledging how my emotions were tied to my surroundings and circumstances. It’s not wrong to not want to feel depressed or...
Joy wrapped in sadness
My husband and I had arrived in Russia with excited and anxious hearts a few days before. This day, we sat in an orphanage—in a bleak, sterile hallway on a hard, wooden bench staring in anticipation at a steel door. When that door opened, we hoped to meet the baby boy...
Tell your daughter she’s beautiful
Hello, my beautiful girl, I cooed to my baby daughter as I picked her up out of her carseat. Then, out of nowhere, someone quipped, You don’t want to tell her that too often or she’ll get a big head. Wait…what? I thought as a record audibly screeched in my head. ...
Advent, Week 1: Waiting Well
When I was a high school sophomore, a day came when, abruptly, my dad was no longer employed. We didn’t see this coming. Despite a painstaking search and scores of resumes sent out, weeks of unemployment turned into months. A shared, quiet undercurrent of anxiety ran...
