The Strength of Connection

There’s a popular phrase I’m guessing we are all at least a little bit familiar with—misery loves company. I can remember hearing that phrase growing up, though, to be honest, I’m not quite sure I fully understood either its meaning or the intent of the one sharing...

Forward Thinking

One year ago I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to the sound of rushing winds and driving rain. I’d been following the reports and models for Hurricane Helene for Western North Carolina and, having grown up on the East Coast and gone through hurricanes growing...

Still Chasing Monsters Away

Apparently, when I was a little kid going to bed at night, one of my parents—usually my mom—had to come into my room with me, inspect beneath the covers, and smack the bedcovers along the bottom of my bed to kill the lobsters I was convinced were hiding in my bed...

There’s Nothing Ordinary about Love

Today is 6 months to the day that we woke up to the devastation of Hurricane Helene—no power, trees down, no cell phone service, and no idea how bad things actually were beyond our small neighborhood. Those were some unpredictable days during unprecedented times....