Becoming Unstuck
Stuck. The word jumped right off the page. I could have sworn that it was bold faced with a star highlighting the empty line, awaiting my name on the...
Category: Hope and Joy
Hope as My Identity
I had already realized that I wasn’t handling our current transition well. After years of transitions, I’ve discovered that I haven’t properly processed any of them, so I wanted...
Celebrating in the Happiest Place in the World
According to several different polls, I live in one of the world’s happiest places. Where I live, people greet each other in elevators, doctors give you a kiss on...
Starry Eyes and Grape-less Vines
For two years I had looked forward to The Week. The Week was when every member of my immediate family was going to be together under...
Bend Back
Where does one even begin when looking back at 2020? For so many it’s been a year of loss, grief, isolation, and separation. And in the...
Despite the Circumstances
Have you ever volunteered or signed up for something that you actually had no business signing up for? Or maybe you thought after the fact, “What was I thinking?...
Joy in Every Season
I love watching the shifting of seasons at the lake in my hometown. In the summer I have to wind my way around runners and bikers...
Let’s Celebrate!
Each year we here at Velvet Ashes count down to retreat weekend as if we were kids at Christmas…and this is Christmas morning. It’s finally time to rip off...
I’ll Take Your Shoulders
Around Thanksgiving, I signed up to run a race in late January. Since I’ve abandoned the life of a solo runner (see that story here), I invited my friends...
Eeyore, Dungeons, and Always Rejoicing
A few years ago, Andrew Peterson released a song titled “Rejoice” and I didn’t like it. This is odd for a few reasons. Reason one:...
