THRIVING: A Six-Month Check-In
Six months ago, I declared 2026 my Year of THRIVING. I was ready for abundance, opportunity, momentum, and a holy "watch this" moment from God. This essay explores what happened when my expectations collided with reality—and the surprising discovery that maybe God was changing me more than He was changing my circumstances.
In this six-month check-in, I'm not a millionaire, bestselling author, keynote speaker, or Broadway star. My back still hurts. The credit cards still exist. And yet... somehow, I'm thriving more than I was before. I reflect on marriage, family, teaching, faith, writing, and the surprising realization that maybe the life I've been looking for isn't somewhere else.
Maybe thriving isn't found in finally arriving. Maybe it's found in fully showing up where I already am.
Everything Ends. That’s Why It Matters.
Children grow up. Shows close. Seasons change. Entire chapters of our lives quietly become stories we tell.
As I've revisited memories of my mom, watched my children grow older, and reflected on the fleeting nature of the moments we love most, I've come to a simple realization: the ending isn't the enemy. The ending is what makes today matter.
A reflection on grief, gratitude, theatre, family, and the privilege of being here for the middle.
The Exhaustion of Running from Yourself
I spent months applying for jobs, convinced the next opportunity would finally fix everything — the exhaustion, the grief, the financial stress, the constant feeling of never being enough. But somewhere in the middle of all the striving, I realized maybe I wasn’t just running toward something better… maybe I was running from myself.
This post is about burnout, chronic pain, faith, loneliness, worthiness, and the difficult surrender of accepting that maybe I’m not stuck after all.
Maybe I’m planted.
Who Ties Your Shoes?!
A tired, heartfelt, and occasionally sarcastic open letter from a teacher standing at the edge of summer asking one very important question: “Who ties your shoes?” This reflection explores learned helplessness, accountability, over-parenting, student burnout, teacher exhaustion, and why sometimes the most loving thing adults can do is step back and LET. THEM.
Potential: The Ugliest Word
Monday, A Midsummer Night’s Dream nearly got cancelled. By Friday, we had sold out every performance before opening night even happened. Somewhere between teenagers carrying scripts like emotional support blankets, Shakespearean chaos, audience laughter, and one very validating conversation with a parent, I found myself thinking a lot about trust, leadership, culture-building, and the curse of seeing what something could become. This one’s about all of that — told, appropriately, as a play in five acts.