On Saturday at the IF:Gathering, seven women of various ethnicities sat on stage together and had a frank talk about race. As someone who has spent the last six months trying to listen and learn from people outside my little Gilbert, Arizona bubble, I appreciated the intentionality of this conversation. I asked my friend Laila to share some of her thoughts. Over the past six months, I have learned much from her…
When my husband was playing minor league baseball, I dreamed about the day when he would be a big league pitcher and I could start doing meaningful philanthropy work. We would give lots of money away because we would have millions of dollars. We would have big impact in the community because we would have a huge platform. I dreamed and schemed and planned for that day when he would have…
I tried not to go to the IF:Gathering in Austin this year. I even gave away my original ticket. I had surgery two weeks ago, and can hardly walk to the mailbox and back. I was more than content to attend IF:Local with women from my community. But the door kept opening, the nudges kept coming, and they have wheelchairs at the airport. So here I go. On Friday I will be hopping limping onto a…
My one word for 2014 was Quiet. Over the past year, I have learned how to exhale, sit with a cup of tea, and just be for a moment. Quiet was exactly what I needed. This year, what I need more than anything is grace. I’m tired of beating myself up at the end of the day over mommy-guilt. I’m weary of negative self-talk. I can’t spend another minute second-guessing every decision…
Oh hey, it’s only a few days until Christmas. Are you finished shopping yet? Or are you a procrastinator like me? Instead of fighting the crowds at the mall or paying through the teeth for overnight shipping, how about giving one of these gifts that give back? You don’t even have to wrap them (just print off the gift card and you’re done!). Toys will break and clothes will go…
Have you ever noticed how much harder it is to be awesome when you’re trying to be someone else? My friends and I have been talking about fear and weakness lately. About what happens when we focus on our weaknesses, when we think about all the ways we don’t measure up to others, when we compare highlight reels. What happens is we start missing out. We miss out on our…
I’ve been coming across some incredible posts on depression and suicide since the tragic death of Robin Williams. I wanted to share some of them with you. Please feel free to leave comments with other links you have found helpful this week. Thoughts on depression, suicide, and being a Christian by Nish Weiseth But there’s another kind of evil lurking around the halls of the depressed, and it’s the belief…