The hush of muffled conversation and the squeak of wet rubber soles echoed through the cathedral as I entered. The drop in temperature was obvious, but mainly I shivered from a sense of awe at the fluted columns, the intricacy of the mosaic floors, and the enormous dome soaring above. My travel companions and I had spent days traipsing through…
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During the growing years, my son often woke at night with a bone-deep ache in his legs. He shifted beneath the sheets, trying to find a comfortable position, but his calves and knees and thighs throbbed with pain. He tried to wrestle and rub the pain away, but often resorted to pounding his restless legs in frustration with small, clenched…
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When my husband and I started a family, we chose names for our children based on qualities we hoped they would one day possess. Our first child’s name means “little lamb” and conjures images of gentle-natured innocence. We chose “strength” as our son’s name, and our youngest daughter’s name means “wisdom and grace.” These traits have hovered around the edges…
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Have you made a practice of cultivating a life wherever you find yourself?The desire to belong somewhere, to make peace with my place, has been a lifelong struggle for me. Can you relate? Placemaker by Christie Purifoy is the book about belonging I needed to read to feel known, understood, and to make sense of my own desires to put down roots…
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Years ago, my husband drove the few hours from our home in New Jersey to Reading, Pennsylvania to slide his long legs beneath his great-aunt Lil’s kitchen table one last time. He brought his appetite, his curiosity, and his phone, fully charged, to capture every word of their conversation. Aunt Lil remained one of the final family storytellers and keeper…
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