When a date ended with inappropriate expectations, I discovered something unexpected—my own fierce boundaries and the songs they inspired. Sometimes our worst moments write our best music.
Nature & Reflections
The Day I Stopped Begging God for Forever: Learning to Love What’s Temporary
I spent years demanding permanent love until my ukulele taught me something radical: not all good things are meant to last forever. Some are meant to be gifts for right now.
How My Ukulele Became My Church at the Beach
Six weeks with Summer Sarah, my ukulele, and I feel complete. God meets me at Fort Monroe every sunset, and now He's sending strangers who stop to listen to my songs.
Getting Right with God: A Beach Encounter That Changed Everything
A mysterious man named Ray at Fort Monroe Beach asked me a simple question that cut straight to my heart: "You want a husband? Then you need to get right with God." Here's how that encounter became a prayer.
What the Botanical Gardens Taught Me About Leaving Teaching
Walking among mountain laurels with my adopted South Carolina mom, I discovered I might be a hybrid tea rose—capable of blooming two different ways. Here's what garden wisdom taught me about career courage.
Finding Words After Tragedy: Why We Write Through Grief
When Joshua died, I thought words were useless against such pain. But I discovered that writing through tragedy isn't wasted—it's how we make meaning from what feels meaningless.
From Generations of Gardens to God’s Sovereignty: A Legacy of Faith and Growth
My grandfather's tomato garden connected me to generations of Italian immigrants who knew that growing things meant trusting God's provision. Here's how tending plants taught me about God's sovereignty and my place in His eternal family tree.
Finding Rainbows After the Storm: When Life Surprises You with Beauty
I went to Fort Monroe Beach to think and got caught in a downpour. But waiting out the rain gave me a sunset, a full rainbow, and lightning strikes—all in 45 minutes. Sometimes the best gifts come when you go against traffic.
Two Months Before My Wedding: When Fear Overshadows Joy
Two months before my wedding, I should be giggling over swatches and favors. Instead, I'm stuck in fear—afraid of saying goodbye to my life in Hampton and starting over in Germany. Here's my honest struggle with pre-wedding anxiety.
My Rotator Cuff Stole My Garden—But Not My Ability to Grow Things
This April, I can't dig in the dirt or pull the lawnmower cord. But watching my students discover that alliteration mimics wind and waves, I realize: some gardens grow in syntactical soil, where seeds bloom long after the gardener moves to Germany.
Writer's Growth 