As we pulled up the to the pediatrician’s office, I could sense my six year old’s fear. He shivered in his booster seat like a puppy headed to the vet. And it wasn’t because he was cold, since the first week of October in Alabama felt like August anywhere else. He was afraid to have his blood pressure taken. “Mama,…
Not unlike a lot of people raised in rural Alabama, I grew up around guns. Almost every person in our small town owned at least one gun, whether intended for hunting or home protection. Men in my family had gun racks in their work trucks, and my granny hid a pistol in her Buick. I have even shot guns on…
I recently turned 35 and decided it was time to take inventory of my life. I have two kids, three jobs and more gray hairs than this math-impaired gal can even begin to count. Then there’s a knot on my back that probably deserves a doctor visit. But who has time for that, right? No doubt, I’m stressed. But I’m…
As the oldest child, for almost four glorious years I had my parents all to myself. Everything revolved around little Kaci, which I now know wasn’t such a good thing. Then, something shifted in my universe when my mom brought home a new baby girl. The rest of my adolescence was defined by a love-hate relationship with this new family…
We’ve all had those moments in life where something happens that will forever change us, whether for better or worse. April 1, 2006, was one of those days for me, and even more than a decade later I can remember everything as if it were yesterday. But it was the choice I made in response to those events that would…
Donald Trump is perhaps the most controversial president to date, and he knows that many people don’t like him. That’s why it was interesting and amusing when he chose to play The Rolling Stones‘ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” as his theme song. I’ve always liked this song (and most Rolling Stones songs), but during the election I really started…
For a while I worked in Christian publishing. During that time I took a few seminary courses online, and one of them was Apologetics. This class intrigued me most, because it went over the various biblical ways we can use to defend our religion. It’s important to know enough facts to back up what you believe in and to have…
A few years ago, I turned 32. It dawned on me that half of my life ago I was 16. This seemed a little odd, and at the risk of sounding cliche, I wish I had known then what I did at 32. So I wrote “Advice to My Adolescent Self.” Now that I’m a few years older and further…
It’s November 9, and we can rest a little now, knowing that the craziest election in history has ended. My husband said it best a few weeks back when he commented that an entire history book or college course could be dedicated to this election alone. Trump won, and the Republicans pretty much swept the map in all areas. No…
If you regularly read my blog or know me personally, you know I have a heart for those battling eating disorders. I once battled one myself, which of course led me to write a memoir, Dying to Be Thin. There are many misconceptions about eating disorders, and Michelle Peterson of RecoveryPride.org has written an informative article about more issues that people with eating disorders may…