January always feels like a blank canvas or a pristine field of snow. It’s clean, free of regrets, and full of possibilities…

August is a month of great excitement in my house as everyone prepares to go back to school. I love summer, but after a few months of it…

In my last blog, we processed the power of one safe adult. Now let’s look at a powerful statement that might change the way you parent.  Have you…

Single motherhood is one of the most exhausting yet most rewarding jobs a woman can take on. But while trying to balance a full-time job, school…

Change is hard. My personality type demands routine. I’m happy when life stays the same without unexpected surprises. When standards in my life fluctuate, I feel all kinds…

Towards the end of 2023 I was reflecting, like most people, on what the year I was slowly waving goodbye to had brought me. I’m generally an introspective…

What is the heaviest thing you have ever lifted? I read an article recently about two mothers who single-handedly lifted a 1.1-ton car off of a young boy…

This week I was sitting in a room of 7th and 8th grade girls when one of them said, “We impress people with our strengths, but we connect with people over our weaknesses.”

My brain loves to wake me up a little after 3 a.m. It is its favorite time to bring up everything I should worry about. So I do just that.

This afternoon I found myself glued to the television watching the film Saving Mr. Banks. I had originally viewed the movie the day it released in theaters in 2013. I’ll be honest. I’m a Mary Poppins fanatic. The television remote control will always find it, the movie album is perched on my closet shelf, and I’ve seen the Broadway play four times. I even own a Mary Poppins snow globe. Why?

Isn’t it interesting how over time we can start to think that sin isn’t really a big deal? It makes sense… spend 10 seconds online and you’ll find article after article not only celebrating sin but also those who applaud it. It’s becoming easier and easier to fall into the lie that since it isn’t really hurting anyone, sin must not be a big deal.

Have you ever had someone try to hold you to a perfect standard that just wasn’t possible to attain? I am a terrible artist, and it would be like someone holding up the Mona Lisa to me and expecting me to paint a perfect copy. It’s impossible! But so often as women we find ourselves carrying the terrible burden of trying to live up to this crazy standard.

Her future was decided. She was a young woman pledged to be married and preparing for the engagement time to be complete so she could begin her own family. Then her world was turned upside down with a few simple words.

This has been a special year for Arise Single Moms as we’ve celebrated our 20 anniversary. We’ve highlighted this momentous marker by writing various blogs called “20 Things.” This month’s is one of my favorites. 

I loved going to the fair or carnivals as a child. Living in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, the big event was Rooster Days each May. All the fun and festivities a girl and her friends could want. Of course, whether at the fair or strolling Main St in my hometown, we couldn’t resist the lure of the arcade games. One in particular fascinated me. As a softball and basketball player, I loved anything that required eye-hand coordination or speed and skill. So, I would always wander to the Whack-A-Mole game.

Summer is over. A season spent outdoors with moments of swimming and enjoying the water. Do you remember when your kids first entered the pool? Maybe it was just to splash as a baby. How much paraphernalia did you put on them? Floaties, pool noodles, rafts, and anything else that would protect them and keep them safe.

1. My past is not what defines me. It is empowering me to become someone I’ve never been before. 

I faced a time of great suffering and uncertainty after experiencing a car wreck that resulted in many injuries. My body was beat up, I had a brain injury, and I was emotionally and psychologically a mess. I felt isolated and alone, as well. I needed God desperately.

Playing with Barbie and Ken as a child and dreaming of my wedding, I didn’t imagine my life would not include the white dress, picket fence, and children. As time evolved, I finally realized at the age of 37 that a traditional family was not in God’s plan for me. He set me apart to live life as a single woman

Many of us spent the Thanksgiving holiday with family—with relatives we knew well, or distant members. Whatever the circumstance, I’m sure we all have some interesting characters who gather around the table.