Saturday's 40 mph winds had me worried about my newly planted seeds. But gardens teach us this: we can't know which seeds will thrive, go dormant, or blow away. We plant anyway, because the potential for future joy is worth the calculated risk.
Personal Growth
I Became Cinderella to Teach Fairy Tales—My Sophomores Taught Me to Believe in Happy Endings Again
Armed with a British accent and blue gown, I convinced sixteen-year-olds I was Cinderella from Far Far Away. They taught me about cell phones while proving fairy tales aren't just for children. Sometimes you have to suspend reality to remember that happy endings are still possible.
What I’d Tell My Nineteen-Year-Old Self About Prince Charming
If I could go back, I'd tell teenage me: "You're going to date that guy someday." Here's what choices, integrity, and waiting thirteen years taught me about being worthy of real love.
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.
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.
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.
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.
