My husband Joseph and I celebrated our thirteenth Valentine’s Day together this week. Out of nostalgia, I searched my computer for a picture from our first romantic holiday. Hand in hand, we had walked a small trail leading up to an outlook over the city. He had timed it perfectly, so the sun was setting… Continue reading How Can I Love You?
My husband texts me that his office’s Christmas party is cancelled. While it’s not my favorite Christmas event, it’s another reminder of how different this holiday season will be. I erase the event from my calendar and flip the pages of my calendar back to November and December of last year (though 2019 feels like… Continue reading Home for the Holidays
Unprecedented. Hard. Disappointment. Tired. Lament. All words that I have heard repeatedly associated with the year 2020. Just in our family, the COVID-19 pandemic has marred weddings, vacations, baby showers, and more; and I know that other families have experienced even more difficult circumstances. So while October is my birthday month, I kept my expectations… Continue reading Unprecedented Joy
On this day last year, I sat on my couch anxiously scrolling through Instagram posts filled with sonogram photos and vulnerable captions. It was the first time I was truly aware of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day (October 15), and as I read each woman’s experience, I wondered about the tiny baby in my… Continue reading The God of All Comfort
It made its home in our apartment months before I did since my husband lived there with a roommate the semester before we got married. The center piece of his roommate’s bedroom was a tattered once-beige recliner. Its suede fabric had been rubbed raw on the seat and arms, and the handle to recline had… Continue reading Lessons from a Recliner
My mom is not a “good” cook in the traditional sense of the way. She doesn’t have a famous pie or cornbread or salad recipe that is always raved about at Southern Baptist church potlucks. I don’t have an old tin recipe box filled with family heirloom recipes. Most of her meals are inspired by… Continue reading Thanking God for Hamburger Helper
My two-year-old daughter presses her open lips to the pane of glass then pulls back to yell, “Open! Open!” She matches her five little fingers up to the five little fingers on the other side. The faces of both toddler girls are confused as to why they can’t hold hands, share toys, or even go… Continue reading Through Smudged Windows
I remember my first Valentine’s Day with my husband almost ten years ago. As a freshman in college and a hopeless romantic, I had high expectations. There must be flowers (even though I don’t really care for them), my favorite chocolates, and a thoughtful gift. The evening must be special—the perfect amount of sweet and… Continue reading When Social Media is your Love Language
Tomorrow, my husband and I will celebrate six years of marriage. This day six years ago, I was busy hanging tulle from the ceiling, putting ornaments on the largest tree I’ve ever seen, spreading sparkly snowflakes literally everywhere, and other crazy ideas my bride-mind had created. At the time, the wedding seemed like such a… Continue reading 6 Things I’ve Learned in 6 Years of Marriage.
A couple months ago, we took my daughter to the movie theater to see The Lion King remake. It was very nostalgic for me and my parents because The Lion King was my first movie to see in theaters as a child. I was so excited, and from the moment the sun rose on the… Continue reading I Have This Hope
Bethany Broderick 