One of my favorite things to do with my own daughters, my nephews, and other little people in my life, is read aloud. As a children's book author and a mama, reading aloud is a special way to share a book with others. I have my own collection of picture books in my library, but in recent years, I've fallen in love with chapter books and middle [...] Keep Reading
On butterfly wings: No Shame in Going Gently
Last month I ran in a trail race called Shadow of the Giants near Yosemite National Park. Through the years, this race has become a favorite to run with my friends. The course winds through the Sierra National Forest. It's always a feast for the senses as we run alongside the giant sequoia trees with their enormous trunks pointing toward [...] Keep Reading
5 myths and 1 important truth about grief
After my husband’s death, I quickly discovered people had a lot to say about grief. As a young widow at age 37 and mother of three young girls, I was often surprised by the comments. Sometimes they would share their insights in hopes of offering comfort. Oftentimes these opinions were driven by myths about grief that get passed around, rather than [...] Keep Reading
When God meets us in ocean waves
My one request for my 45th birthday was to go to the ocean. My husband Shawn and three daughters took me to a little beach town along the Central Coast of California called Cambria. I didn’t realize until we arrived that this was the same town my late husband Ericlee took me for my birthday almost 20 years ago. The memories [...] Keep Reading
10 picture books by AAPI authors you should add to your bookshelf
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI) in the United States. In May, we celebrate the histories of Americans hailing from across the Asian continent and from the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. The legislation to annually designate May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was instigated by two [...] Keep Reading
A trip to the garbage dump: when God enlarged my heart for mercy
The back of my brown legs stuck to the squishy seat. The air was heavy, ominous perhaps. I was with a collective of Christian college students from across the United States, studying in Central America. We had no idea what we would encounter on this field trip of sorts. Before we could see anything, a putrid smell wafted through the windows [...] Keep Reading
