I kept asking God to show me a sign about motherhood until a book about following dreams taught me the wrong question. Sometimes the journey is the treasure.
Author: Laura Joy Palma
The Valentine’s Day I Finally Learned to Love Myself
Alone on Valentine's Day, I saw the truth in every romantic memory: I was the only constant. Here's what I wish I'd told my boy-crazy younger self about love.
The Birthday I Spent Crying About the Children I Don’t Have
At thirty-four, I'm officially off my timeline for motherhood. Here's what I learned about grief, biological clocks, and the difference between being broken and being a woman.
Breaking Up and Making Up: When Love Isn’t Enough to Fix Everything
After Charming broke up with me to "free me from my dreams," I realized the problem wasn't him—it was me. Here's how a one-hour breakup taught me that I needed to reclaim the missing pieces of myself.
The Birthday I Realized I Was Living in Two Columns
At almost thirty-four, I'm straddling two lives: one where Charming chooses me and I leave Hampton, one where he doesn't and I stay. Here's why that compromise is slowly killing me.
Foster Care, Teenage Rebellion, and the Prayer That Changes Everything
Watching my future sister-in-law's foster daughter at a Wizards game, I saw myself—the rebellious teen who once told her mother "I hate you." What if the common thread that heals all wounds starts on our knees?
When Reality Refuses to Follow the Script You Wrote at Twelve
My imagination gets me in trouble—always has. Snow days with Mom watching Anne of Green Gables taught me to expect magic. But first dances come with mohawks, not dance cards. Now I'm learning that unscripted moments with Charming and Super Mario might be richer than any story I could have imagined.
Horseback Riding in Narnia While My Friends Miscarry: Learning to See Past the Baby Longing
At thirty-four, watching a TV couple announce pregnancy made me cry ugly tears. But riding through snow-covered pines with Charming, I realized: if I keep focusing on the children I don't have, I'll miss the Narnia I'm living in right now.
Introducing Charming to the People Who Loved Me When I Was Dead Inside
Joanie and Bob met me when I was a fallen woman hiding in my childhood bed after divorce. They loved me anyway. This Christmas, they finally met Charming—and emailed that he's 'handsome, delightful, and perfect' for the restored woman they always knew I'd become.
My Gift List Had Two Equal Columns—His World and Mine Still Haven’t Merged
Tangled in silver ribbon, I saw it: two columns of gifts, one for my people, one for Charming's. Thirty-five years of Bible study bonds at his parents' party made me sob for what I lost in Nashville. I wrap presents for new people, gambling they'll still be here next Christmas.
Writer's Growth 