5 Things You Can Say to Your Friend When Tragedy Strikes
When tragedy strikes, you need your friends and neighbors. You need them to hug you, to help you, to be a tangible reminder of what is good and beautiful and right in the world. And when tragedy strikes your friends, I know you want to be there for them, ...
Pink Party Power: Poured Into to Pour Out
As we bring another Breast Cancer Awareness month to a close, I’m remembering… Cindy. Seven years ago, just a few days before my scheduled preventative bilateral mastectomy, a woman I hardly knew named Cindy Kreidel threw me a “Pink Party.” Complete wit ...
The Petak Who Didn’t Want to Move to Colorado
There was one Petak who didn't want to move to Colorado. He loved his home, his friends, his familiar hangouts, watching bluebirds every spring check out the houses for rent in the backyard. So, when the night came to load up the last of the riff-raff and ...
Dinner in the Liberal Lion’s Den
“HATE HAS NO PLACE HERE,” their buttons blared from their jacket lapels as they stood at Kellie’s back door. I recoiled. Clearly, the liberal couple wore the buttons to make a statement against me, the conservative guest who voted for Trump, right? I resi ...
Kellie’s Visit to Nashville Brings New Perspective
Her eyes are piercing blue, an azure mix of intensity and compassion. I watch as she engages with my tribe- a tribe that holds a worldview so unlike her own, asks, listens, wonders, seeks, probes, gives. Kellie had arrived the day before, smiling and hop ...
Warning: This 2-minute Parenting Film May Require Tissues
Lights, Camera, Action! A few weeks ago, my two youngest boys were soooo sad to miss school for two whole days to star in a short film by the production company Seventh Story as a promo for an upcoming Lifeway parenting conference called "Etch." I got t ...
Mother’s Day and the Danger of an Open-Door Policy
Last year, one of my blog posts received over 3,000 hits. I guess it hits a nerve for so many of us who wonder some days if we're making a difference. So, here it is again, just in time for Mother's Day. Click on the white triangle in the audio bar be ...
Finding Courage for the Scariest Step in Tough Conversations
“Would anyone like to role play a tough conversation?” I ask. By their response, it looks like I’ve asked if anyone would like their hair pulled out one strand at a time. They look down at the table, then sneak wide-eyed looks at each other. I had just ...
When You Feel Abandoned
Have you ever felt like you’ve been abandoned? Sure that no one gave a rip about you Convinced you didn’t belong Unloved On your own… A few weeks ago, our cat, Witty, thought he had been abandoned …again. Wait. Before you say, “Oh, come on, Heidi, I do ...
Inside Out- A Movie Review
I am one of the few people in the world who does not like movies. After too many times of feeling trapped in the middle of a packed theater watching something I didn’t want to watch, I finally decided I couldn't trust that a moviemaker will take me somewh ...