Columns

There’s a freedom children have when they swing. Sometimes they need a little push, but before long, they learn how to push themselves. The sounds of chains squeaking and shoes scraping the dirt are imprinted in my mind. Swinging higher and higher is always the goal. Hair flies in the…

My husband, Jared, and I are in an interesting stage of our parenting journey. Our daughter, who is almost 4, will be going to preschool soon, but for now, she spends almost every day with us at home. She has a rather introverted temperament, so most of the…

I recently watched the eight-episode Canadian drama miniseries “Unspeakable,” which was inspired by real events and first televised a few years ago. The series is the creation and passion of Robert C. Cooper, a writer and producer best known for his work on the television series “Stargate…

On Monday, the preschool at my church celebrated Halloween, complete with little goblins, ghosts, and other assorted creatures. The children bragged about their costumes, saying, “Look, Pastor Joe, I’m a princess. Look, Pastor Joe, I’m a ferocious Samurai warrior.” They looked terrific, and I asked them if they wanted a…

Growing up in Texas meant Friday night football games. It’s a religion there. As a girl in elementary school, I’d go with my family to games — not so much to watch football as to see the halftime show. But I found myself enamored with the cheerleaders. They were athletic…

My husband, Jared, had a knee bleed last week. The moment he felt the familiar twinge in his joint, he performed his usual treatment regimen: a factor infusion and bed rest. We thought we’d simply wait it out without doing anything special besides resting the injury…

I have von Willebrand disease (VWD) and hemophilia B, a less common form of hemophilia that arises when a blood-clotting protein called factor IX is missing or deficient. Hemophilia is often thought of as a condition that only affects men, but women can and do have it, too.

Last week, I wrote about the bond I formed immediately with my oldest son, Julian. Caeleb, my youngest son, recently reminded me of the unique bond he and I share. Toward the end of her third trimester, my wife, Cazandra, started to experience complications, so her medical team admitted…

Apologies aren’t easy. Sometimes when hurtful words are shared, an apology is in order. Likewise, a mistake that affects another person is also a time when an apology is needed. But why do people apologize when something is out of their control? My youngest son, Caeleb, is 16 and lives…

My husband, Jared, gets a lot of bruises. Not because he gets into brawls a lot, and most certainly not because we fight (although we like to troll people with these possibilities just for fun — dark humor, we know). His quick bruising is because he has severe…