The tough times taught me how the ultimate beauty lies in the mundane. — “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” Robert Brault I have always prided myself on my ability to practice gratitude. Ever since I was a child, I’ve thanked the Lord for my blessings on the majority of my days. …

Mom of two, freelance writer, peanut butter lover. “Accept what people offer. Drink their milkshakes. Take their love.” Wally Lamb Hey there! I’m Amanda — mom of two, freelance writer, and peanut butter lover, but let’s start from the VERY beginning. I was born (and raised) in a teeny Southern…

How our daily commute sheds light on the metaphors of wind — “If the wind brushes against you, do not complain; it brushes against everyone.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo “Can I feel the wind on my face for a minute, mommy?” My sweet, 5-year old asks every morning — on our half-hour commute. “Yes, honey, of course, you can,” I always say as…

Trying to make sense of our political world. — I’ve been a people pleaser since I can remember, and for most of my life when it came to controversial conversations, I’d shy away or stay silent. Some close friends never even knew my political affiliation. Controversy has never been my thing. Then I became an official writer, and life spilled on the page. For someone…

A Poem — Here I am again, on this floral-themed outdoor bench, the one I unexpectedly acquired after my kind-souled, wise, great aunt had passed. Sometimes, I picture her smiling and looking down on me while I rock to the rhythms in my mind. (After so much inner work, I have found that…

A poem —

A Poem — To anyone redefining life and shedding iron masks — witnessing armored-metal miracles floating like feathers to the ground, shattering like glass: You are going to be okay. You were meant for more. To anyone leaping stalled in mid-air while gazing at the cliff below — Body resonating in the sky, frozen in…

The highs are high. The lows are low. So… we coast in the middle, like lost souls without centers, clenching to a temporary safety net– we can’t even see. Our balance: noteworthy. Fearlessly standing steadily. …

The mountain crumbled, cast by a shadow in despair, the blood of the young, unaware about the canyon catching rocks below. I am still breathing. The floodgates opened, caving under pressure, flowing freely like wild horses — on route. A sea of them, galloping downward, resembling an energetic cataclysmic waterfall. …