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.
Nature & Reflections
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.
Two Weeks of Pink Blooms and 155 Tuesday Nights: A Love Letter to What I’m Leaving
My Japanese magnolias bloom for exactly two weeks each March, shocking me even when I know they're coming. Like Nandy who died while I wrote last Tuesday—we just don't know how much time we have. This is my last March with these trees.
How Italy Taught Me to Own Every Part of Myself
In Italy, I could be the woman I really am—faith and all. Here's what I learned about going with the flow, embracing interruptions, and finding freedom in flat tires.
Understanding Yourself: Confessions of an ENFJ’s Journey to Self-Awareness
Taking the Myers-Briggs personality test in counseling revealed truths about myself I'd never fully understood. Here's what I learned about being an ENFJ and how it transformed my relationships.
The Day I Wielded a Pick Axe and Found My Resurrection
After a devastating fight with Charming, I spent seven hours in my garden wondering if dry bones can live. Here's what Ezekiel's vision taught me about hope, growth, and fairy tale endings.
Planting Seeds and Wondering: When Will I Have My Own Blank Slate?
Starting 144 seedlings from scratch, I know exactly what each will become. Watching my student Young Beauty and friends' children, I dream of my own blank slate—but first, Charming has to choose me.
The February Beach Day That Saved Me From My Winter of Waiting
I'd been asking God for a sign about motherhood when He gave me a seventy-degree day in February instead. Here's what I learned about footprints in the sand and everyday miracles.
Writer's Growth 