Thirty-five and Rocking: Three ways to thrive during hard times

It was an unusually hot fall afternoon and I sat in one of my new porch rockers, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face. It was my 35th birthday and my husband surprised me with the rockers as a gift. They were the perfect spot to sit and reflect and as I did,

Semisonic, Ski Lifts and Spiritual Truths: How Being Chosen Changes Things

Michael and I celebrated our 12th anniversary on March 21 with an overnight trip to a ski resort called Peek’n Peak. I had never snow skied before, but picked it up fast and decided it was one of my new favorite things to do. What I picked up quickly skiing-wise, I lacked terribly when it

How I’ve Really Let Myself Go (and what I’m doing about it)

A few weeks ago, I joined one of my friends and her new running group for an easy three miles around downtown. It was dark and cold as we made our way carefully, guided only by the streetlights. I know running in the frigid darkness of a mid-January evening doesn’t sound appealing to most, but

New year, new me? How to Embrace a Better Approach to Change

It was New Years Day and my husband arranged for me to spend a night alone in a hotel room. There was no agenda, aside from a massage scheduled the next afternoon. His gesture and my one-and-only new year’s resolution paired like sharp cheddar cheese and a fine bottle of cabernet. After years of failed

Finding the Skinny Truth in the Thick of all the Lies

I sat in the exam room of my primary care physician’s office, anxious to get the results of the bloodwork my dermatologist had ordered two weeks prior. My doctor came in, frazzled and busy, asking what I was there for. I told him his office had called me to schedule an appointment to discuss my

What it Really Means to have the Perfect Summer Body

It’s Memorial Day weekend and here in Ohio we’re thrilled to see cooler temperatures and dreary weather replaced by the warmth and sunshine of a new season. However, the brightness of summer’s coming arrival casts a familiar shadow affecting women everywhere. The shadow being the belief that the bodies we have fall short of the

10 Life Lessons from Motherhood

Ten years ago, on the eve of Mothers’ Day, I gave birth to our firstborn son. His entry into the world made my husband burst out laughing with joy and my heart explode with wonder. I’ll never forget the “magic moment” when his tiny newborn frame was laid upon my chest. Life as I knew

Finding True Healing in a Quick-Fix World

It was the summer of 2018. The sun was hot as I laced up my New Balances to hit the pavement for a mid-week run. There was a lot to sort out on this handful of miles and it had nothing to do with physical fitness or the marathon training plan I was working through.

Three Truths for A Thirsty Soul

“You’re a good mom.” The thought echoed across my dry, exhausted and overwhelmed soul as I began cleaning up our messy kitchen in the center of our even messier house. It was picture day at the elementary school and three of our four kids needed to look their best. Like a circus ringleader trying to

To my readers

Dear reader, This is a space to drink in the certainty you’re not alone; a place where connection can revive your spirit; somewhere to settle into the rest that comes from feeling understood. As I pull back layers and share my life, I hope you will discover pieces of your own soul reflected within my