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When Silence Becomes the System: IBLP and Purity Culture
Another Duggar has been arrested on molestation charges.https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/joseph-duggar-arrest-child-sex-abuse.html When the news broke, you bet I’d be writing about it again—not from a place of condemnation, but from the perspective of someone who has experienced harm and is still navigating my faith in light of it. At some point, it stops feeling shocking and starts…
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Political Theater
I’m not a Trump supporter. I haven’t been. And acknowledging something done well in a speech doesn’t suddenly make me one. In fact, a lot of what I’ve seen in his leadership and character concerns me. What I saw that night said less about immigration policy and more about something deeper — the widening…
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The Quiet Grief of Friendship Breakups
For a long time, I’ve had to wrestle with the reality that I’ve been the common denominator in friendships that didn’t last. That’s not easy to sit with, but it’s something I’ve taken seriously. I’ve had to reflect on my patterns, my responses, and the ways I’ve contributed to relationships breaking down. At the…
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Holy in the Hard
I brought my kids to the ranch where I grew up, something I hadn’t done in eight years. The last time I was here, Harmony was only 18 months old. I wasn’t planning to stop or engage with my adoptive parents—I was just going to do a quick drive-by to show the kids where…
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Some Roads Don’t Take You Back
Some roads don’t take you back; they carry you forward.Still, I needed to walk this one more time.There’s healing in returning, especially when grace walks beside you. The moment we landed in Montana, something shifted in me. I couldn’t quite name it, but the weight of it settled in fast. It wasn’t just the…
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No Easy Answers: What Adoption Can’t Always Fix
There are moments when I think about adoption and wonder if it would be better to halt it entirely—at least until we get it right. I know that may sound extreme, but it comes from a place of pain and deep reflection—a reflection shaped by the many layered, often conflicting emotions adoptees carry: grief,…
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When Adoption Becomes Exploitation
When I came across Second Chance Adoptions’ new Facebook page, I couldn’t shake the feeling in my gut. They were asking for help spreading the word, and I kept wondering—why was the old page gone? I’m not privy to the information as to why it disappeared, and I don’t know the full story. But…
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When the Table Was Never Meant for You
At school pickup today, my daughter was in tears. One of her usual recess friends had suddenly started ignoring her, choosing a new friend group instead. My mama heart ached as I listened to her confusion and hurt. And honestly? I get it. Even at 31, I still find myself wondering how some people…
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When Divorce and Faith Collide
In a home where fundamentalist beliefs shape every aspect of your life, marriage is seen as sacred and unbreakable. Divorce wasn’t just frowned upon; it was treated as an unforgivable sin, branding anyone who chose it with a mark of shame. It wasn’t just a personal failure—it was a community-wide scandal. Whispers followed the…