Recently I participated in a two-day clinic on chronic pain and fibromyalgia at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. I rearranged many responsibilities in order to attend and hoped it wouldn’t be a waste of my time. Immediately I was impressed. There were people participating from around the United States, all…
From the outside, her world looked perfect. Devoutly religious. A large family. A respected husband. Service-minded. If I had seen her on the street, I would think she had it all together. As I talked with her, I quickly recognized she wasn’t “crazy”. Instead, what I saw was a deeply…
Each year, I look forward to the Florida Christian Writers Conference at Lake Yale Conference Center. After some encouragement, I pitched an idea for a class and this year was my first time on faculty. I checked the schedule and prepared for my class on the first night of the…
I’ve had the privilege of reconnecting with two old friends recently. I was asked to speak at a retreat, and I knew my friend from high school lived nearby, so I texted. It was lovely reconnecting and talking over coffee and breakfast. Twenty plus years seemed like a moment since…
At 99, Mrs. Tommy Lee Cone went home to be with Jesus. As we celebrated her life, I wasn’t sad. Each of the scriptures she handpicked to be read were evangelical. She wanted everyone to know the Savior she loved and lived for. The hymns were beautiful and represented her…
Why is Swiss cheese the only kind of cheese with holes? In the cooking process there’s a combination of bacteria and hay particles in the milk that can make bubbles of carbon dioxide. The bubbles usually bust leaving a hole, or what cheese connoisseurs know as an eye. Swiss cheese…
77% of the people in the US who have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder this year DID NOT receive treatment. Over 100,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S. between 2022 and 2023. Over 88,000 people in the U.S. die from alcohol related causes each…
We are a “no dog under the table” kind of family. He’s welcome to scavenge for crumbs once we’re finished but begging or nosing us while eating isn’t our thing. To solidify our stance, we keep a spray bottle filled with water on the edge of the dining table to…
“When you have kids, you’ll understand.” “When you become a grandparent, you’ll get it.” “When things stop working like they should, it’ll make more sense.” I’ve heard those older than me say these things as long as I can remember. With each new season, someone who is a bit…
One of the highlights of the recent hurricane was hanging out in the living room with my kids. We laughed, talked, read books, camped out on the couches and had the best time together. The heartiest guffaw happened early Monday morning when the winds picked up. We were in the…