52 posts
![[No. 93] Love Is Real Mom Friends.](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2020/07/DSC06586-scaled-e1594924314133.jpg)
One has a baby in heaven.⠀ One has a baby on the way.⠀ One breastfeeds.⠀ One bottle feeds.⠀ One baby naps more.⠀ One baby sleeps through the night more.⠀ One had an unmedicated birth.⠀ One had an epidural.⠀ One baby is teething.⠀ One baby is crawling. ⠀ One uses her carrier more.⠀ One uses her […]
July 10, 2020![[No. 74] Stop Saying That You Are Colorblind Or That You Don't See Color](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2019/07/Shruthi_062019_Allison_Turpen_Photography_190.jpg)
I’ve heard two phrases a lot lately. The first one is, “I don’t see color” and the second one is, “I am colorblind.” I want, in love, to make sure people know neither is appropriate. I get the heart behind it. Believe me, I do. You’re trying to say that color doesn’t define a person […]
July 22, 2019![[No. 73] Love Is Translating Empathy Into Action](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2019/07/Shruthi_062019_Allison-Turpen-Photography-168-e1562705968199.jpg)
What is love? Love is GIRL DAY. Lol. Let me explain. Most of my BFFs don’t live in the same city as me, let alone the same state. Usually, that doesn’t bother an introvert like me. Scheduled facetime calls throughout a week usually are perfect for me. But sometimes, the lack of my deeply trusted […]
July 9, 2019![[No. 72] Love is Not a Temporary Fix](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2019/06/Colorado-2019-6.jpg)
Love is not a temporary fix. Don’t believe me? Let me tell you about the time I dated an atheist. I was not in the healthiest place in my faith/life because of a breakup that left me reeling. Enter artsy guy who called me his dream girl. He was intelligent and our banter was on […]
June 18, 2019![[No.67] Love Is Thoughtful](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2019/01/IMG-4953.jpg)
What is love? Love is thoughtful. A few weeks ago, one of my best friends who’s getting married stayed with us and we, of course, got to chatting. In between wedding chatter, she asked me how work was going, how I was doing, etc. I told her I wish I had created more introvert time […]
January 29, 2019![[No. 65] Love Is Fighting Well and Conflict Resolution](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2019/01/love-is-posts-3.jpg)
What is love? Love is fighting well and conflict resolution. Every single person grows up seeing conflict resolved a little differently. My husband and I dated for four years and we fought …a lot. A couple years into dating, we sat down to figure out why we kept butting heads. Why? We wanted to make […]
January 14, 2019![[No.63] Love Is Checking In](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2018/12/4F33122E-97A6-4B45-AB17-9FE37858EF8A.jpg)
What is love? Love is checking in. A group of friends and I were chatting about something random, and then one of us asked the other, “How are you?” What we didn’t expect was for her to get emotional and say, “Thank you for asking me that, no one really asks me that.” Eeeep. I […]
December 10, 2018![[No.62] Love Is Finding Healthy Adult Friendships](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2018/12/A8072251-FFAD-4C59-852F-BBDDC496CDB8-e1548973895589.jpg)
What is love? Love is finding healthy adult friendships. Whew. These are rare to find, and tough to be. Suddenly, you’re not making friends out of convenience like being in school or growing up together. Suddenly, you really are just a tiny fish in the big sea trying to find your people. Who are these […]
December 3, 2018![[No. 50] Love Is Healthy](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2018/11/DSC_2827.jpg)
What is love? Love is healthy. The world unhealthily keeps telling us “Do what makes you happy,” “How can this friend benefit me,” “No more spark,” “Try it before you buy it,” “Out with the old and in with the new,” “We fell out of love,” & the list goes on. Healthy love is staying […]
August 21, 2018![[No. 49] Love is Not Only for Those Like You](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2018/08/Sandwich-4.jpg)
Love is not only for those like you. America, the Melting Pot, is known for her incredible diversity. But if I'm honest, a lot of people I’ve seen, stick to people just like them. Same culture, same color, same primary language, same socioeconomic level, same faith, same career, same… same… same. Where’s the chance to […]
August 8, 2018![[No. 43] Love Is Bursting Your Bubbles](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2018/06/Bubblegum-2-e1529353422467.jpg)
[No. 43] Love is bursting your bubbles. Bursting your big, colorful ideas of the perfect person, the perfect fight, the perfect date, the perfect kids—anything! Nowadays the word “love” is so o0ey, go0ey romanticized that when so many are hit with the reality that love isn’t always “a walk in the park”, they up and […]
June 18, 2018![[No. 42] Love Is Consistent Gratitude](https://d2xsxph8kpxj0f.cloudfront.net/310519663496488581/gaWtNDcvzJZ7chhrf2FsKy/wp-images/2018/06/LaityLodge-2.jpg)
[No. 42] Love is consistent gratitude. Why? Because people get so excited with shiny new things but in a week barely remember them. We are masters at taking things for granted. We are fantastic at “out of sight out of mind.” Yup, we are highly skilled at getting bored. We forget how in the beginning […]
June 11, 2018Living Open-Handed — My 90-day devotional for the days when you need to be encouraged by scripture and softened by grace. — A devotional to be encouraged by scripture and softened by grace.