What’s the difference between halfway friends and covenant partners? Halfway friends are quick to be there when times are good, but seem to disappear once the good times end. Covenant partners are there for you when times are good, and they draw even closer to you when times get bad.

We usually don’t have a choice in who our family members are, but sometimes we’re lucky enough to have relatives who are both family and friends. And sometimes our friends become our chosen family, closer even than those who are related to us by blood.

It’s not easy to be mindful these days. Between the demands of work and family, it can feel as if we’re being pulled in a lot of different directions. How can we help relieve that overstretched feeling and unwind a bit? I believe mindfulness is the key.

(Grace’s Note: This post deals with a topic that some of you may find stressful: sexual abuse. If this is too difficult for you to read about, you may want to skip over this one. Part 1 of my story is here, and part 2 is here.)

(Grace’s Note: This post deals with a topic that some of you may find stressful: sexual abuse. If this is too difficult for you to read about, you may want to skip over this one. Part 1 of my story is here, and part 3 is here.)

(Grace’s Note: This post deals with a topic that some of you may find stressful: sexual abuse. If this is too difficult for you to read about, you may want to skip over this one. Part 2 of my story is here, and part 3 is here.)

I was always amazed at how Mac took an enormously complicated process and made it sound as easy as boiling water. He’d probably say it’s because he was a Texan. Whatever the reason, I found the simplicity reassuring. I remembered how I’d met Mac so many years ago.

People fly in private planes all the time, I kept telling myself. No reason to be so nervous. But all I could think about was how a little girl from Compton made it here.

I'm so excited to announce that I've been nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award by Viviana of A Roseylicious Life. Thanks, Viviana!

Have you ever seen a little plant growing in the crevices of a sidewalk?  It seems impossible that such a small thing as a sprout has the strength to crack apart roads, the symbols of human skill and speed, but there they are. Those persistent little sprouts always make me think of hope, and how powerful it is.