live bodly – love courageously
This morning during a 9am Zoom call, we were asked to write on a piece of paper a word that describes how we’re currently feeling. Before four weeks ago, life maneuvered at a freeway pace. Our family went from one thing to the next without moments of exhaling. Balance and rhythm struck discord in my… Continue reading The 5-Letter Word for Our Souls
Tuesday mornings arrive before I’m ready. I roll out of bed in the dark and prepare our downstairs for a herd of 7th grade girls to make their appearance. Before school they come. Tired eyes. Ready hearts. Heavy loads. They drop their two-ton backpacks in a pile, eye the goodies with their journals and Bibles… Continue reading Joy: Defined by 7th Grade Girls
On a still, March morning, I ran upstairs for a moment while my 18-month-old son played downstairs. I left him playing with trains and a bouncy ball. In my brief absence, he crawled under our glass coffee table to retrieve a ball and tried to stand up. The 60 pound weight of the glass proved… Continue reading When Peace Shatters
The morning air fills with a dichotomy of time. The youngest needs help getting dressed in her mismatched outfit, doesn't care if her hair's done and fills her tiny mouth with cereal. The eldest scarfs down self-made scrambled eggs, combs his newly cut hair, and grabs his gargantuous backpack. I watch these two sit side… Continue reading First Day of High School
Anika Ortiz 