For 14 years our family called Charlottesville home. Three of our children were born there. And a fourth was welcomed into our family wrapped in the kindness, encouragement, and love of our Charlottesville community. We love this place where we hiked the Blue Ridge, picked apples, built snow forts, and enjoyed deep friendships. Our kids rambled the hills around our home, climbed Big Rock, and had countless adventures across the creek in the beauty of the Roxaboxen town they created. We love … [Read more...] about They Didn’t Win
By All Means Keep Moving
Growing up in the coastal South, blacks lived in pockets around town that centered in the city but stretched and weaved through suburbia. Driving through, you'd lock your doors. And God forbid your car break down when going through one of "those" neighborhoods. My grandmother had a woman named Annie Bell who helped her around the house. My grandmother died when I was four, but Annie Bell still came to help my Granddaddy Joe. Growing up, I remember my mom gathering our old clothes and … [Read more...] about By All Means Keep Moving
Learning to Honor Culture
Our family went to see Queen of Katwe last night. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. The story is beautiful, honest, inspiring, and true. Take a look at the trailer ... One of the things I love most about the film is that it honors culture. Not only does it depict the beauty of the land, but the heroes of the story are Africans. Harriet Naku is a fierce mom who displays raw and determined love for her children. She fights for them, provides for them, and ultimately … [Read more...] about Learning to Honor Culture
What If We Went After Weightiness?
It's that time of year when we're talking resolutions, and goals, and words for the year. We're talking boldness, and bravery, and brand new as we usher 2016 out the door and welcome 2017. And the most common resolution is no surprise. Lose weight. Gym memberships soar. According to Gold's Gym, their traffic jumps 40% between December and February. And everyone's tossing out the cookies and buying kale. But what if we turned this resolution on its head and went after weightiness this … [Read more...] about What If We Went After Weightiness?
Hope for Your Weekend
With so much anguish in our world and our nation, let's celebrate some of the good things that are happening. Working Together to Reunite Syrian Refugee Families I'm a big fan of collaboration. As messy as it can be, I believe there is much to be gained with join together for a cause. And I love work that lifts up the value of family. And so when I saw this article, I knew I had to share it with you. Germany, Turkey, and Lebanon are Working Together to Reunite 36,000 Syrian Refugee … [Read more...] about Hope for Your Weekend
We’ve Got It Easy
My days are pretty full. With being a wife to one, mom to many and working with RiverCross, there is not a lot of time. I'm guessing you're in the same boat. And this is the most common reason I hear for people not reading their Bibles daily. I get it. But here's the deal, reading your Bible daily is not only the most important thing you can do to grow your faith, it is also the easiest thing you can do. The Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Now … [Read more...] about We’ve Got It Easy