The truest gifts don’t come tied with ribbon. They arrive like light through a crack in the day—unexpected, quiet, and undeniable. A single breath of love. A glance that anchors you. A moment that burns itself into memory and keeps warming you long after everything else has gone dim.

Finding true community didn’t just impact my life—it completely transformed it. Decades ago, when I began leading a small group of women, I wrestled with doubts and asked God if I was truly enough for the role. I prayed for courage and realized vulnerability was essential.

Love changes us and changes others. Love takes strangers and makes families. Love heals wounds and empty spaces in us that we never dreamed could be filled.

Amid a painful divorce, I found myself grappling with fear and despair as a single mom. My family's financial security was shattered, leaving me overwhelmed and questioning my worth. One night, in a vulnerable moment of sorrow, I felt the Jesus reassure me, "I will restore all that has been lost and broken."

True belonging means knowing that our core identity is being deeply loved and chosen by God. This unwavering truth, not circumstances, is the foundation of my story: I truly belong because of Him. This week marks one year since my dad went home to be with Jesus. Reflecting on this year of profound transition, I see how much it stretched and transformed me. Letting go of my roles as daughter and caregiver began a deeper journey. I started to rediscover who God created

Vulnerability is the soil for intimacy, and what waters intimacy is tears.

"I'm not sure I can handle waiting anymore," I screamed out into the empty void. I was in major frustration and had paralyzing fear concerning my singleness as I approached my mid-century. Honestly, I had lost all hope. I have been waiting on God for a husband for almost three decades. I had started to feel that my dream of walking down the aisle was slipping away, along with all the promises God had given me for marriage.

For years, I grappled with the profound grief of infertility, often feeling adrift in a sea of despair. In those darkest times, I stumbled upon the transformative power of poetry woven into songs—each lyric a beacon of hope that reignited my spirit and drew me closer to Jesus. One pivotal moment that forever changed my perspective came when I discovered a pastor on YouTube who boldly urged barren women to celebrate their journeys. His words pierced through my sorrow, ignit

One afternoon, earlier this year, I received a text from my youngest daughter. She shared that she had decided to pursue a relationship with the Lord. A relationship that was hers, based on her decision alone and not because of anything I have said or because of my relationship with the Lord.

Our first daughter came into the world through pain and difficulty — a foreshadowing of the journey ahead. As the years unfolded, it became clear we were navigating a path we never anticipated: Kait's silent, often unreachable world of profound autism.

In the beginning, the waiting was easy; the excitement was there, and I knew He had a plan. But as the years passed, waiting on God during challenging times was a difficult task. Moments of profound loneliness, fear, and doubt made my dream of marriage seem distant. I questioned if God understood my desires or heard my prayers. However, in the stillness, He worked behind the scenes, shaping my character and strengthening my faith. When I least expected it, God intervened, or