So, I have a confession to make: I really love cheese. Cheddar, bleu, feta, homemade ricotta, pimiento – name a cheese, and my eyes will light up. When I was six or seven, I was no different. One afternoon before Christmas when I was about that age, a savory smell filled our home, and I … Continue reading Receiving “Good Things” in God’s Timing
Receiving in Faith
(5 minute read) Last year when I got my puppy, my world was crumbling around me, but time with her was a blissful reprieve. She threw up in the car? No big deal. Whining at 2:00am? Doesn’t matter. The inconveniences that came with training her were inconsequential in the “honeymoon days,” and the novelty of … Continue reading Receiving in Faith
This One’s For the Dogs: Ordinary Teachers, Extraordinary Lessons
They say dog is man’s best friend, but what they don’t tell you is that dog can also be man’s best teacher. Until I was four, I loved these furry friends immensely but feared them more. You can imagine my shock one Christmas morning in the mid-90’s when my parents presented a tiny fox terrier … Continue reading This One’s For the Dogs: Ordinary Teachers, Extraordinary Lessons
Where Hope Is Found
For many days of 2020, the world has awoken to news just as surprising as seeing dollar bills growing on trees or Porky the Pig in the clouds. For some, the past few days have been no exception. This year has given space for innumerable situations not to go as planned or as hoped. Teaching, … Continue reading Where Hope Is Found
The Thermostat
Have you ever worked tirelessly, pushed yourself beyond exhaustion, and received disrespect in return? If you've hung out with a toddler long enough, you might can relate! Taking care of kids isn't a prerequisite for this, though. You could experience this at work, in a relationship, or even in a volunteer situation. One moment that … Continue reading The Thermostat
Relentless Pursuit
(12-minute read) My alarm went off while it was pitch dark outside. I rolled over and couldn’t remember why it was time to wake up. I don’t teach until tonight…I’m not Facetiming anybody this morning... And then it hit me. I wasn’t waking up before the birds out of obligation—this was a personal choice. I … Continue reading Relentless Pursuit
He Is & He Can
(15-minute read) It was a chilly, overcast January day. A day that I would’ve rather stayed inside. I was working to get a sub-two half marathon, though, so I made myself pull on my leggings and a sweatshirt and head out the door. Once I got going, I forgot that it was cloudy and cold … Continue reading He Is & He Can
The Nalgene
Anybody else have a weird attachment to a “thing”? Maybe your car, or a piece of jewelry, or a t-shirt? I had that too, only mine was…to a water bottle. Just call me Crazy Nalgene Lady. I got The Nalgene before working at a summer camp in 2010 and proceeded to carry that thing around … Continue reading The Nalgene
The Midnight Mosquito
This post was written as a journal entry in June 2018 and was revised in June 2020. Last night I was exhausted. I still fought sleep, though. I felt like I was seven years old, and my teenage sisters were laughing with their friends while I listened from my bed, sleepless from intense fomo. I … Continue reading The Midnight Mosquito
Sunny
"Hold on, Aubrey! Hold on!" "Woahhhh, woah, woah, woah" "Aubrey, hold on!" "Chachi! Chachi!" Moments before this exchange, I was enjoying walking behind two of my nieces on horseback, led by my then-landlord. Now, I'm sprinting through the woods, dazed from jet-lag, screaming for my niece not to let go of the reins, praying I … Continue reading Sunny
Chachi's Chapters 