When death surrounded me—a former student, a country star, my teacher, a First Lady—I had to face the question: What are we really staying alive for?
Author: Laura Joy Palma
The Magnolias Bloomed Early, and So Did My Temper
Some buds emerge before their time, risking frost. During our first real argument, my carefully hidden temper surfaced in what felt like an hourglass minute. I waited for Charming to leave. Instead, he asked how we could disagree better next time. Grace, it seems, comes in unexpected moments.
When a Colleague Called Me “Wildly Optimistic”: Finding Myself in Apple Freewrites
At our teacher meeting, everyone wrote adjectives on apples for colleagues. When someone called me 'wildly optimistic,' I realized something had changed in my fifty weeks of writing. I wasn't always this hopeful.
Learning to Ski at 34: When Falling Becomes Part of the Lesson
I've hated snow since my brother's sled knocked me over at age three. But Charming gave me ski lessons for Valentine's Day, and somewhere between learning proper layers and letting him help me up, I discovered that persistence looks different when you're not alone on the mountain.
The Independence Ring I Bought and the Love Pendant He Gave Me
I bought my first ring as a single woman to celebrate my freedom. A year later, Charming surprised me with a matching pendant. Here's what jewelry taught me about waiting for the right combination.
How I Learned to Guard My Heart Without Building Walls
After divorce, I thought protecting my heart meant never risking it again. Then I discovered what 'guard your heart' really means—and it changed everything about how I love.
From Wedding Day Joy to Divorce: How Love Changes and Grace Remains
Seven years after my Valentine's Day engagement, I'm helping friends navigate their own marriage struggles. Here's an honest look at how 'I do' became 'goodbye'—and how God's grace followed even my hardest choices.
The Night I Buried Dead Roses to Grow Something New
Eight months after planting my broken relationship in the garden as fertilizer, Charming sent fresh roses to fill my empty vase. Here's what bloomed in between.
What My Student Taught Me About Getting “There” First in Love
Young Beauty discovered she seemed depressed when she started writing, just like I did. Here's what we learned about vulnerability, passion, and what happens when you fall in love before he does.
When Paradise Taught Me to Live in Parentheses: Finding Grace Between Sunset and Praise
I lost myself in a Bahamas sunset and found myself in the parentheses of praise. Sometimes the most profound resolutions aren't about changing—they're about noticing the abstract beauty that's been there all along, waiting for us to stop and worship.
Writer's Growth 