Our parents write the opening chapters. We spend the rest of our lives discovering that we are the author of everything that comes after. I spent the past couple of days with my family. Although I talk to my mother on the phone several times each week, I only see my parents a few times a year because they live more than three hours away. My mother is a remarkably strong and resilient woman. She was 17 when I was born and she went on to graduate from Emory as a registered nurs

Tonight I watched my beautiful niece marry the man she loves. Their ceremony, officiated by the groom's father, was traditional, filled with Scripture, prayers, and reminders that marriage is more than a celebration. It is a covenant. A promise. A decision made over and over again, especially on the days when it isn't easy. There were passages about commitment. About forgiveness. About sacrifice. About a husband leading and protecting his family. About a wife honoring and tru

For a long time, I thought finding “the one” meant finding someone who would sweep me off my feet. Life has taught me something different. I don’t think “the one” is the person who creates butterflies every day. I think they’re the person who creates peace. They’re the person who somehow makes the world feel a little softer simply because they’re in it. Home isn’t always a place. Sometimes it’s a person. The older I get, the less impressed I am by grand gestures and perfectly

One year ago, I was saying goodbye to a relationship that had once been filled with love. We had spent two wonderful years building a life together, sharing a home and dreaming about a future. What followed was nearly another year of untangling ourselves from a heartbreak that never seemed to end all at once. Just when I felt as though I had finally found solid ground again, another little tug on my heart would pull me back into the uncertainty. Heartbreak has a funny way of