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I live in the middle of nowhere. It is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. The forest and the ocean intersect, creating some of the most gorgeous hiking trails I have had the pleasure of traversing. Nature is our playground, with thousands of acres of beaches, forests,…

I recently celebrated my 27th birthday in the company of family. Despite being unable to go out due to government-mandated COVID-19 restrictions, I still had a wonderful celebration at home. Although it was a weekday, our workload that day wasn’t too heavy or stressful. I was able to do enjoyable…

I cannot believe that Easter is a few days away. I keep asking myself, “Didn’t we celebrate New Year’s Day yesterday?” One of the common themes interwoven into the fabric of what Christians call Holy Week is the idea that before we get to the joy of Easter, we…

As an expectant mother, I dreamed about my son’s future. I imagined the sound of his voice, the daily rituals we would create together, and the way I’d simply hold and love him with every part of my being. When my first son, Julian, came into the world, my…

My husband, Jared, has fond memories of his school days when he was younger. He went to an all-boys combined elementary school and high school, where roughhousing and horsing around with friends were common. He and his classmates sometimes were crude and rowdy, he says, but they were all very…

Although my sons, now 15 and 24, are different as night and day, they both began asking questions about hemophilia at about age 5. I tackled the tough issues they wrestled with, always acknowledging that their problems contained merit. At 5 years old, they each asked the same question that…

My youngest son, Caeleb, became best friends with a girl named Taylor in sixth grade. Then, our family moved away to Texas, but returned to New Mexico two years later. Caeleb and Taylor now live an hour apart. Despite it all, they have remained close. It is remarkable for a…

Sometimes I feel like I don’t belong. I’m a misfit, an imposter. I feel fine and haven’t had a bleed in almost a month. Do I really have hemophilia? Do I really need to infuse every three…

I have a number of friends working as financial advisors. From time to time, they offer me life insurance policies, stock market deals, and other similar investments. As a young mom and businesswoman, I am right within their target market. I take interest in all sorts of financial tools…

I faced my old friend, the medical supplies boxes, still not believing the task ahead of me. I almost spoke to the six boxes stacked on top of one another. “I am sorry,” I wanted to say, “but we do not need you any longer. We must move on.” Each…