Charming helped me decorate my Christmas tree, creating our first shared tradition. But as magical as it felt, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sometimes hope itself is the scariest emotion.
The Thanksgiving I Remembered Who I Really Am
Meeting Charming's family, I realized I'd spent years playing a role in my marriage. Here's what it felt like to finally be myself again—and why his grandmother said I should stick around.
The Half-Marathon That Taught Me About Racing Into Love Again
All relationships end like sunsets do—but if we never risk racing into them, we'll miss something amazing. Here's what training for my first half-marathon taught me about trying again after betrayal.
When Charming Met My Family: Finding Joy After Years of Empty Chairs
For years there was an empty chair at family dinners where my partner should have been. Then Charming came home with me for Mom's 65th birthday, and everything felt complete.
How Teaching My Students to Make Bucket Lists Saved My Own Life
Thirty-six weeks after starting this blog in crisis, I'm teaching my students to dream big and write it down. Here's what happened when writing became my way back to hope.
The Friend Who Taught Me the Difference Between Surviving and Living
My friend believes the best of her life is behind her—just like I used to. Here's what happened when I challenged her to dream again, and why I bought a piano the next day.
Using Rhetoric to Fall in Love: A Teacher’s Guide to Choosing Charming
My students are studying persuasive essays, and I realized I'm basically writing one about whether to fall in love with Charming. Using ethos, pathos, and logos, here's my argument for opening my heart again.
When God Shows Up in Grammar Lessons: Finding Faith After Heartbreak
Teaching subject-verb agreement to teenagers taught me something unexpected about the rules of love, loss, and letting God back into a guarded heart.
Pulling Up Dying Impatiens: Why I Can’t Regret My Divorce
Replacing summer flowers with fall mums, I faced the hardest question: why did I choose divorce? Sometimes you have to pull up dying things to make room for God's chalkboard promise: "Behold, I make all things new."
The Selfie I Took in the Storm That Changed Everything
After our perfect second date, I sat on my porch in the hurricane rain and captured something I hadn't felt in years: hope. Here's why I almost didn't write about it.
Writer's Growth 