I don’t really do resolutions, but the start of a new year always fills me with this feeling like my heart will burst because it’s so full of the desire to do something. To be better, to learn new things, to find my way to a different, deeper kind of happiness and contentment. The possibilities...

As many of you know, my dad was a professional watercolorist. He painted full-time for 45 years, and once he started painting, he never had another job. One of his favorite sayings, when people asked how long a painting took him, was “three hours and thirty years,” or eventually 40 and almost 50. In other...

  For my birthday in July, a friend bought me a really fun gift—a pocket watercolor set and a 3×5-ish watercolor sketch book. It’s adorable… but I was like, what on earth am I going to do with this?  When I attended the recent Midwest Writers Workshop, Kelcey Ervick, the author of a graphic memoir, taught on graphic novels (putting...

“I am an atheist, but this…” He extends his arms wide and looks around him. “…is my church! Once a year I come here to get filled back up!” Those may not be his exact words, but every year, Matthew Clemens shares a version of this statement at Midwest Writers Workshop. And every year, anyone...

Not long ago, I re-read an old book. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was different than I remembered. I mean, some things made me cringe a teensy bit—but I found myself reading stories I’d forgotten, totally interested to see what happened. I was blown away by the confidence of the...

I’ll only take a minute or two of your time. Much like my new journal. My daughter gave me a gratitude journal for Christmas, and I’ve really enjoyed getting back into the practice of looking back over my days and remembering. I noticed that my gratitude entries read more like a diary—things I wanted to...

There’s just something magical about children’s books, whether you’re a kid yourself, a parent who’s had to read books at bedtime (again and again and again until you want to pull your hair out!), or you loved being read to before bed. I decided to have some fun with the February prayer prompt calendar by...

  This is part 4 in my Think • Write • Pray • Explore series focused on TIME. Read part 1, part 2, and part 3 here if you missed them, and if you don’t have the January prayer prompt calendar about time, you can download it for free here.  Some months, this is where...

  This is part 3 in my Think • Write • Pray • Explore series focused on TIME. Read part 1 and part 2 here if you missed them, and if you don’t have the January prayer prompt calendar about time, you can download it for free here.  So often, I make decisions about my...

  This is part 2 in my Think • Write • Pray • Explore series focused on TIME. Read part 1 here if you missed it, and if you don’t have the January prayer prompt calendar about time, you can download it for free here.  Writing in a prayer journal is the most consistent way...