Category: Inspirational

The Weight of Waiting…

2003: I made a deal with God in an effort to secure my “happily ever after.”

It went a little something like this:

“Ok God, I’ve been through some pretty awful stuff. It’s helped me grow up a lot and you’ve graciously provided me with family and friends who love and accept me unconditionally. Thank you for getting me through. Now that we’ve got the hard stuff taken care of, I’d like the rest of my life to be smooth sailing. Got it?”

It seemed like things were on track too…I married a wonderful man, we have a beautiful house, I make music for a living…

waiting weight

You heard it, didn’t you? The inevitable but that’s coming…


We always knew we wanted to have children and started trying in 2011. We thought our dog Penny would be lonely once we were distracted by a baby so we adopted another dog, Shadow, to be a playmate when the baby came.

2012: No baby yet, so I applied to grad school, because I always heard you get pregnant when it’s most inconvenient to have a baby. What could be crazier than holding down two jobs and getting a graduate degree? This was definitely going to work…

waiting weight

2014: We now have two dogs,

I earned a masters in music, and….

still waiting.


We were diagnosed with infertility. The diagnosis meant that no matter how much money we were willing to spend or treatments we were willing to try there was no way we could make a baby together.

And yet we still wanted to be parents.

2016: We discovered the miracle of embryo adoption.

It’s a unique process that began because couples who have undergone fertility treatments often end up with more embryos than they can use. These embryos remain frozen in storage and are often called “snowflake babies”.

Our adoption agency matched us with a family at the end of last year and the embryos were transported to our clinic a few months ago. We get to experience the miracle of adoption AND the miracle of pregnancy…what could be better?

We are so close to becoming parents!


Close…but not yet.

I have been composing this post for months and waiting to hit publish until I had a happy ending to share.

And now I’m realizing that’s not what life is about.

Even though I would LOVE to fast forward to the happy ending!


God isn’t just here to handle the hard stuff or hand us the happy stuff.

He’s here for everything in between.

So I’m going to get comfortable with God and hand him everything.

My hopes, my dreams, and most importantly…

my timeline.

He’s got a plan for when this baby will come.

I will do my part and trust that He’s got this.

And whatever you’ve got going in your life? God’s got that too…

God IS blessing you, even in the waiting,

Life Lessons: Writing them down or living them out?

There are some lessons I keep having to learn over and over again.

This week has been one of  serious decluttering, cleaning, and organizing.

Inevitably, every time this happens, I run across something that truly surprises me!

This time it was some journals filled with my musings from 2008. As I flipped through and glanced at the entries I was horrified to discover I’m still struggling with a lot of the same things. Relearning the same lessons.

REALLY? I’ve read so many books since then, been to counseling, prayed and meditated, learned so many lessons…how can I still have the same problems? 

And then it hit me….

I do a lot of writing things down but not a lot of living things out.

Ouch. That hurt. 

Once I recovered a bit from that shock I started to see my cleaning and decluttering in a new light. Instead of just getting rid of things, I started asking myself to get rid of habits.

So as I’ve read and meditated this week I’ve tried to resist the urge to underline obsessively or take pages of notes. Because filling up another notebook isn’t going to change my life. Only my choices can do that.

I’m choosing to change and actively act like the person I want to become…instead of expecting magic to happen because I read a book or attended a seminar.

I must say, It’s a freeing (and scary) feeling…and for that I need HIM every hour...

It is Well

I spent some time this week remembering painful times in my past.

I’m not a glutton for punishment,

the intent was to remember, forgive, and move on.

In reality, I found myself descending into a spiral of

“it’s not fair that this happened…why me…I shouldn’t have to deal with this….”

Not productive.

And definitely not helpful.

In the middle of arguing with myself about how best to handle this

I started singing…

not on purpose, the song just came back to me in the moment

when I needed it most.

It is Well with My Soul

Events that stop us in our tracks force us to reevaluate everything.

Send us spinning out of our normal orbit and into an unknown world of emotions.

It can be painful, but it can also be an opportunity for change.

A complete reset of how things will be in the future.

As we pick up the pieces and begin to put ourselves back together,

we have a choice.

We can put everything back exactly where it came from,

try and make it exactly like it was before,

or we can choose to change. 

Incorporate a new habit, change up a routine, or cut out things we don’t need anymore.

My new habit (at least for this month) is to meditate every morning.

So far so good…although I’m only a few days in!

When sorrows like sea billows roll, I’ll be singing…

it-is-well

Is this a test or a quiz?

I was on my way to an appointment this morning and got stuck in traffic.

Immediately I started wondering…

“How long is this gonna last?” 

It got me thinking about the times in life that feel stuck and we wonder the same thing…

Sometimes it’s a short period of time and then you’re off on your merry way again.

Sometimes it feels like forever and your still in the same spot.

And then there are the absolute worst situations…when the lane you’re in is stationary but the people next to you are sailing by without a care in the world.

Ugh…I get mad just thinking about it! 

And so it is with life, right?

Sometimes you hit a snag, sometimes an all out stop,

and sometimes you’re in limbo while the rest of the world keeps going.

It can be so frustrating.

When I feel stuck and all alone this song helps me.

It’s one that I’ve even sung to myself at night as a prayer.

I hope it brings peace to you today as well.

Hope Arrived in the Mail

“Hope Arrived in the Mail” is inspired by an experience that happened in 2003 when I was about to graduate from college. I felt disconnected from everything and everyone. I sent out no graduation announcements and expected no gifts.

So imagine my surprise when I received a card in the mail. It was a simple card but it made a huge impact on me. Because it showed me that I mattered at a time when I felt very lost and confused.

Many of you know that I still love cards to this day (I’m looking at four of them posted over my desk right now!) but this one will always have a special place in my heart…because it symbolized hope in the midst of a desperate time.

I hope this song brings inspiration and encouragement to you today.

 

“Hope Arrived in the Mail”

When I graduated college

I felt lonely and afraid

So imagine my surprise

When a card arrived in May

Hope arrived in the mail

Gave me courage to press on

Kindness in an envelope

Stamped and sent from home

Graduation and Good Luck

Were printed on the page

But more than the simple gesture

It meant that I would be ok

The card said that I mattered

There was an impact I had made

And that simple piece of paper

Is why I’m here today

Well that was many years ago

yet still when the hard times come

encouragement arrives

in a card sent to my home

Hope arrives in the mail

Gives me courage to press on

Kindness in an envelope

Sent from your friends at home

 

Finding Happy

“We set out to find happy, and realize happy is right here.”

I was selected to read an advance version of a book recently.

Feeling fancy and important I blocked out an afternoon to read and comment on the material.

And then this quote from Seth Hanes hit me square between the eyes:

The consequences in your head are always worse than the reality.  

So true, isn’t it? 

Starting this weekly email is a prime example.

I was super scared of numerous things before I started and guess what?

Absolutely none of them have happened.

In fact, this has turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the week and sparked so many interesting conversations I never would have had otherwise.

Please allow this email to be your permission to face the fear in your mind and push through to the other side. I promise it’s brighter and better than you ever imagined!

?Finding Happy?

We live in fear and trembling 

About mysterious scary things

Then push through them to realize

They are as flimsy as dreams

We set out to find happy

And realize happy is right here

Would you like your own copy of this song? For the first time ever it is available for digital download as a part of the album “Custom Collection.” Check it out here!

What is the most valuable thing you’ve ever learned

Honestly, my first thought was learning how to tie my shoes.

While that may not seem like a big deal now, it is one of my first memories.

I felt like a champion!

Yet as an adult our perspective shifts and what was once a major accomplishment is now barely a blip on the radar. (Plus, I wear heels now, so it’s not even a skill I use all that often ☺️)

So what is considered a valuable skill as an adult?

I’d like to offer a suggestion in the form of song lyrics:

The greatest thing you’ll ever learn 

is just to love and be loved in return.

This final line from the song “Nature Boy” is so hauntingly beautiful. I hope it inspires you to think about life in a new way and to celebrate those little victories (like successfully tie-ing your shoes)!

learning great things daily

The Comfort of Song

The comfort of song helps to remind us of truth and keeps our faith alive during the darkest times.

Because let’s face it, Life can be a scary place.

Sometimes happy, sometimes sad….and ALWAYS unpredictable!

As a musician I am often asked to be a part of both the happy and sad times in people’s lives.

Happy times like weddings or parties are fun and music is a great way to lift your spirits and celebrate.

But it is during the sad times that we experience the power of music in a whole new way. The comfort of song helps to remind us of truth and keeps our faith alive during the darkest times.

“Be not afraid, I go before you always. Come follow me, and I will give you rest.”