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THE SECOND CUP

Blog.

My latest writing lives on Substack now.

I love using Substack because it makes it easier to talk with you every week — it allows you to comment and participate in community threads and send me direct emails, and it feels more like a back-and-forth conversation over flaky croissants than a 'newsletter'. (And good conversation and croissants is definitely the vibe here at The Second Cup.)

So enjoy the archives below, but if you want to read my latest musings on being a recovering over-achiever, leaving my job to become a writer, and chasing dreams, toddlers, and Jesus, you'll find them on Substack!

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A Thousand Masks and Zero Friends

Jan 6
5 min

A Thousand Masks and Zero Friends

Ever heard the song A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash? It was a favorite in my household growing up [we had it on vinyl] and I remember...

5 views0 comments

Is A Well-Balanced Day Even A Thing?

Jan 6
5 min

Is A Well-Balanced Day Even A Thing?

What’s happening in real time: My fingertips are hovering over these keys, and my brain almost has a poignant thought to share with you...

5 views0 comments

I Want You Back: How Choosing Community [Despite the Hassle] Will Save Our Lives

Oct 5, 2022
4 min

I Want You Back: How Choosing Community [Despite the Hassle] Will Save Our Lives

Have you ever heard of Pia Farrenkopf? I hadn’t either, until our pastor told us about her on Sunday. Pia was a middle-aged woman living...

20 views0 comments

5 Things I Learned After One Week of Self-Employment

Oct 5, 2022
5 min

5 Things I Learned After One Week of Self-Employment

{Spoiler Alert: It's my dream job but it wasn't all a dream.} “That’s not your school anymore, Mommy,” my three-year-old reminded me as...

15 views0 comments

I Only Swore Once! (And Other Wins)

Aug 16, 2022
3 min

I Only Swore Once! (And Other Wins)

I mommed hard this morning. Wet sheets from the night. Wet three-year-old. Two hangry children and only one measly waffle left in the...

75 views2 comments

God, Don't Make Me

Aug 10, 2022
4 min

God, Don't Make Me

I made it through about three episodes of 1883, and I watched every one of them in complete horror. If you're not familiar with the show,...

77 views0 comments

I Wasted Time Today

Jul 19, 2022
3 min

I Wasted Time Today

I wasted time today. Here's how: My kids went to daycare, and I made the conscious decision to accomplish nothing. I made no money (but I...

34 views0 comments

Not That Kind of Girl

Jul 12, 2022
3 min

Not That Kind of Girl

One day, I stopped swimming in the ocean. I don't know the exact day. All I know is that at some point I decided I'd rather keep my hair...

58 views0 comments

God is Not A Social Media Post

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

God is Not A Social Media Post

Man, our culture has such a complicated relationship with God. There's all this commentary on what he is and what he isn't, what he...

109 views0 comments

The Thrill of Abundance (In a Scarce-Minded World)

Mar 27, 2022
2 min

The Thrill of Abundance (In a Scarce-Minded World)

What's new and inspiring to you these days? I ask because I am tiptoeing the line between apathy and hope, and I'd really like to embrace...

87 views0 comments

Self-Pity is Chocolate Cake

Feb 24, 2022
2 min

Self-Pity is Chocolate Cake

Self-pity is so delicious. I find it's my favorite spiral. It allows me to count all the ways I have been wronged and treated unjustly,...

109 views6 comments

Enough Grief, Let's Do Grandeur

Jan 10, 2022
2 min

Enough Grief, Let's Do Grandeur

I think it's safe to say we've all dealt with some crap this year. There's the everyday stuff - the worldwide pandemic, the projected...

71 views1 comment

If You Really Wanna Shake Stuff Up This Year, Pray This.

Jan 2, 2022
3 min

If You Really Wanna Shake Stuff Up This Year, Pray This.

There are 8 billion different realities alive and well in our world today. It struck me suddenly the other day, this realization that all...

242 views2 comments

When It's Too Dark in Our Room (And Our Room is This World)

Sep 5, 2021
3 min

When It's Too Dark in Our Room (And Our Room is This World)

Our son Theo has begun to feel scared of the dark lately. Before going into his room alone, even in broad daylight, he'll yell down the...

105 views0 comments

That Craving You Just Can't Place

Jul 29, 2021
3 min

That Craving You Just Can't Place

Have you ever had a craving that you just can't place? That happened to me the other night. We had just said goodbye to a house full of...

86 views1 comment

Death is Not a Four-Letter Word (So Let's Talk About It)

Jul 1, 2021
5 min

Death is Not a Four-Letter Word (So Let's Talk About It)

Putting the word ‘death’ in an opening line isn’t usually a good way to start, because people think of it as more of an ending. But death...

726 views4 comments

Essentials

Jun 4, 2021
1 min

Essentials

I'm rebelling. Exhaustion and the weary walk say there are no leftovers. That Pen to paper, body to floor, Heart to heart - There is no...

40 views0 comments

The Territory of Hard Truths

Apr 28, 2021
2 min

The Territory of Hard Truths

There comes a time in all of our lives when reality takes a turn. It happens when the doctor says there is nothing more to be done, or...

796 views0 comments

Getting Back to God: The Third and Final Part of The Wandering Ones Series

Feb 18, 2021
4 min

Getting Back to God: The Third and Final Part of The Wandering Ones Series

The wind was whipping so loud in my ears that I couldn't hear anyone around me, even when they shouted. Rain spilt over the top of my...

171 views0 comments

The Wandering Ones Series: Mute, Blind, and Uninspired - Part 2

Jan 21, 2021
3 min

The Wandering Ones Series: Mute, Blind, and Uninspired - Part 2

God struck me mute last week. I had just broadcast my plans to launch this new blog series, The Wandering Ones, all over social media. I...

173 views0 comments

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