Every couple weeks, I get asked this question: How did you know you were done? When did you know when to say when? Meaning when did I know my marriage was over and it was time to pull the plug. There is not a cookie cutter answer that works best for every marriage or relationship. But there are a few key things that signaled the obvious for me. As I have said, I would Continue Reading
A PERFECT Summer Read for You: Giddy Up Eunice by Sophie Hudson
If you guys haven’t met Sophie Hudson (aka BooMama) allow me to make a grand introduction! I first “met” Sophie when she hooked me with her book A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet: Southern Stories of Faith, Family and Fifteen Pounds of Bacon. It’s only in the last few years (after living away from the South) that I’ve truly come to appreciate all things Southern. My heart Continue Reading
An Unlikely Friendship: What We Can Learn From a Dog and a Duck
If you’ve spent any amount of time around the northern part of my little hometown, Springhill, Louisiana, you’ve inevitably seen our local celebrities, the Dog and Duck. I’m not sure how long they’ve been around or even who they belong to, but they’ve definitely reached celebrity status. Each time there’s a sighting, pictures abound on social media and news outlets have even Continue Reading
Finding God in First World Problems
It’s sort of a joke all over social media… When things don’t go as planned or Murphy’s Law takes over resulting in minor inconveniences, we hashtag pictures, tweets, and posts with #FirstWorldProbs. #FirstWorldProbs make light of our American plights (no outlet to charge our cell phone, a water boil (Corpus Christi knows ALL about this), a Starbucks drink not made to Continue Reading
Do You Ever Wonder ‘What Might’ve Been?’
Do you ever wonder... ‘what might’ve been?’ It’s a fair question. And one I think almost everyone can answer ‘yes’ to. Is there value in wondering, pondering and maybe even grieving the ‘what might’ve been?’ For me? Absolutely! Yesterday, a distantly familiar date rolled across the calendar. I almost missed it, but something called it to mind. Should I have remained Continue Reading
4 Reasons I LOVED Traveling With My Parents
If you picked up a copy of Living Forward and read the exemplar life plan by ‘Rachel’ (aka me), you discovered one of the specific commitments under my family account is to be more intentional about spending time/traveling with my parents. To kick off the fulfilling of that commitment, I just wrapped up a super fun week of adventure doing JUST that! We started out in Vegas, Continue Reading
When It’s Mother’s Day and You Aren’t a Mother
It’s the day of the year we celebrate the one who chose life and brought us bouncing into this great, big, wide world. But what do you do when it’s Mother’s Day and you’re not a mother? I fall on the “not being a mother” end of the spectrum. There was a season in my life when this day glared the obvious. And. it. hurt. And to make the pain worse, for the Continue Reading
8 Action Steps for a Marriage at Risk
It is no secret the enemy prowls about seeking to steal, kill and destroy. Evil lurks around every corner and is ready to pounce on the smallest perceived weakness. It seems more and more our families are under attack and are being destroyed. If the enemy can demolish a family unit, there is an inevitable ripple effect sometimes trickling down through generations. So, what Continue Reading
Lessons Learned From Years Squandered
College was one of my favorite seasons of life. Much of who I am today comes directly from the years I spent at Ouachita Baptist University. On a recent work trip to Arkansas, I had the opportunity to drive through campus, soaking in memory after memory of a treasured season. As I passed two of my old dorms and drove through the tunnel of Bradford Pear trees, I was overcome Continue Reading
Louisiana (There’s No Place Like Home)
As I write this, I am sitting on my parents’ back porch in Louisiana soaking in the last few minutes of sunlight. Dorothy was right when she spoke the words, “There’s no place like home.” My parents' yard is erupt with three colors of azaleas, Nancy Graybeards, yellow roses and dogwoods. When I woke this morning, I immediately caught the whiff of my mother’s bakings from Continue Reading