There are days the book's title overwhelms me: Only One Life: How A Woman's Every Day Shapes An Eternal Legacy. With three, soon to be four, little ones ages six and under, my “typical” days don’t often look impressive.My head knows what I’m doing is valuable, even if I’m not accomplishing ... read more
How to Live in Peace with Your In-Laws
She came fluttering into my personal space, squealing like she’d made the best thrift store find in a decade.“I’m so glad to meet you! I have the perfect man for you! He’s right over there, see? And very handsome, I must say.“But you know the best part about him?” she added. “His parents are ... read more
Heaven is my home, earth is my business address.
“Tell me, do you like stories about things that really happened? Wonderful things that the Lord did?” I grew up listening to Allegra McBirney’s stories. Not fairy tales or even parables, but true stories about real little girls and boys all around the world.Our radio didn’t carry her program, ... read more
How to Find the Connection You Crave in Your Friendships
It’s embarrassing to admit it but somehow I have reached my mid thirties and still am not exactly sure how to crack the code of creating authentic, especially local, friendships. No matter how I try, I feel perpetually floundering when it comes to making friends as an adult. Even though my ... read more
Found Treasure: A Love Story in Books and Memories
The year I turned twelve years old we moved into the upstairs of my grandparent's house in Northern New York.Until this point my family had been living in far off Homer, Alaska where my father taught at a Bible School. Our interactions with my mom's parents included a handful of visits, many ... read more
12+ Historical Novels to Fascinate Every Age
As a historical fiction author, I'm often asked what gems of the genre I recommend. I love being asked for book suggestions, but I always follow up with a few questions first because there are so many facets (and sub-genres) to historical fiction! Here are my questions and answers, and most ... read more
How to Declutter Your Bookshelf
If you’re a book-lover like me your bookshelves are perpetually bursting at the seams, overflowing with cherished books and serving as the consummate conversation starter in your living room. Maybe bookshelves are the staple in your living room and maybe you’ve decorated your home around the number ... read more
when fear and anxiety produce tunnel vision
I like to imagine myself in a Jane Austen novel--engaging in witty banter with a handsome member of the landed gentry, whirling around a ballroom into the wee hours of the morning and taking trips to Bath. But if I’m honest, I find myself identifying less with an Austen heroine and more with one of ... read more
Why I See Hymns as a Time Capsule of Trust
The other day, my brother stopped plowing snow to tell me that the setting sun had just dropped into line with the ice-clad treetops. Outside our kitchen window, branches sparkled with diamonds against a melba and dove-grey sky. I grabbed my camera, while my brother shucked his enormous boots for me ... read more
Reading People: How I See through the Lens of Personality
My whole job is reading people. Or, as I am learning, I do my job well because I am good at reading people. I watch body language, I pick up on preferences (Do they like my corny jokes or my attempts at intelligent wit? Are they comfortable with PDA or do I need to coach them into position?), I ... read more
