Keyboards are for professional work; writing is best done with paper and ink (I’m partial to Moleskine notebooks and TUL pens). When my marriage ended, I filled dozens of notebooks with every thought and emotion imaginable and I hope those reflections will soon be on a bookshelf near you.

I lived in 8 states growing up but never anywhere for more than 6 years until I had kids of my own. I grew up in the church, completed both undergrad and grad school at Wheaton College, and have spent my entire career supporting theological education around the world. I don’t go to church every Sunday, I don’t start my mornings with a “quiet time” and a cup of coffee (I’m a tea person anyway), and I hate what the word evangelical has come to represent. But I love Jesus and can’t let go of the Bible.

During the loss of my divorce, I (re)learned how to find joy in small practices. I spent childhood years on both coasts and my soul is most at peace by the water. I can have my toes in the Lake in 45 minutes, depending on traffic, and I have fully embraced Friday half-days all summer to maximize beach time. When I’m not at the beach, I spend as much time as possible playing in the dirt. My backyard garden keeps us in fresh produce well into the winter and I’m slowly converting the rest of the lawn to no-mow natives that attract pollinators but repel Bambi and Thumper—the repelling part of that equation is still very much a work in progress. During the seemingly endless Michigan winters, I bake a lot (let the record show I had a sourdough starter before Covid) and I go through 25 pound bags of flour every couple of months. I learned to knit and crochet during the Pandemic, but only make it through one skein of yarn every few months—blankets take a long time!

I inherited a love for travel from my pilot dad and count myself lucky to have friends and colleagues all over the world. I love it when one or more of my daughters is able to join me, but solo travel is also its own kind of adventure. My big goofy dog has never been invited, but he’s still happy to see me when I get home.