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…

Lessons from my son’s growing pains. — “Don’t go through life, grow through life.” — Eric Butterworth “I don’t want to grow anymore,” my oldest son tearfully pleas. It’s 3 am, and growing pains shoot from his tiny feet to his ankles, so I’ve been rubbing his soles, half asleep, for 20 minutes now. “I know, love,”…

How a one-week beach vacation quelled stress and promoted peace. — In the last six months, my anxiety necklace, a metal tube on a chain that slows down your exhale, has become a staple of my being. That simple breathing device has dangled prominently from my neck, and whenever I felt the anxiety creeping in, it reminded me to pause, inhale…

Treasuring memories of laughing children, sunsets, and life. — I really wish I had spent more time appreciating it when it was happening instead of worrying about when it would all end. Rebecca — This is Us This morning I lost my watch, and it surprised me how often I kept looking down at my bare wrist — checking…

Before the pandemic, I started training to run a 5k. In fact, I wrote about this experience here. At the time, I was 37 and hadn’t run for years, even though I used to be a fitness obsessed D1 athlete. But life happened. Marriage, kids, a dog, the whole shebang…

As I drive my kids to school, I think how my world is so perfectly contained in this minivan. And as this thought — one of many — bounces around for a minute, my four-year-old lowers his window and confidently proclaims, “I’m feeling the wind, mommy.” …