In light of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I offer the touching story of my friend Cheryl O’Neil, a true warrior against violence and abuse.
Cheryl’s life is a testimony that even after decades of painful abuse, healing and restoration is possible.
Readers, Dearests, Friends,
I’m tickled to announce that after a year of “trying out this blogging thing,” Revisions of Grandeur is here to stay. I purchased the domain for the blog and can now be found at revisionsofgrandeur.com (Don’t worry, your old links will redirect!).
A year ago today, I published my introductory post at Revisions of Grandeur. I tried way too hard. I was nervous as all get-out to hit PUBLISH. I had no idea what my next essay would be about. Sixty posts later, I feel so at home with my audience. We’re growing together and going strong, and I have lots of folks to thank for it. Continue reading
One comment I hear often about my personality is that I’m calm and collected — that I keep my cool in high-drama situations.
It hasn’t always been this way, but when one is subjected to blessed by three messy, active boys in under four years, one has a tendency to learn to tolerate high levels of noise, roughhousing, and tomfoolery.
It takes a lot for me to lose my cool, but last week it happened. It wasn’t my kids who fanned my flames either — it was a stranger in a restaurant who crossed the line and did something I just can’t ignore.
It’s been four months since Adam died.
Adria and I were visiting him in New York where he’d moved after accepting an associate professorship at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Manhattan. He invited us out for a vacation, vowing to be our trusty tour guide. We had an incredible three days of running around the city, seeing all the major touristy sights and a handful of gems we would never have found without him.
On the fourth day of the trip, Adria, Adam, Lisa (Adam’s girlfriend) and I set out to walk the Brooklyn Bridge and check out Adam’s favorite park, Washington Square.
Last weekend, my family and I took a day trip to the northernmost region of Michigan, way up along my beloved Lake Superior. On the map below, we were at the tippy-top of the Keweenaw Peninsula, in Copper Harbor.
As Revisions of Grandeur has grown, several folks have asked if I make much profit off my blog or if I plan to monetize (allow advertisements on) my blog. Though the idea of making some cha-ching off a blog could be enticing, I’ve decided that monetizing is not for me. Here are five reasons why.
Recently, a friend of mine who is pregnant for the first time (yay!) asked if I had any tips on what kind of baby STUFF I couldn’t live without when my littles were littler. I’ve been asked this question a few times, probably because I gave birth to three boys in less than four years and have lived in three different houses since we started having kids. We’ve had a lot of baby stuff pass through our doors, but there are only about twenty things I would not want to do new parenthood without.
Here they are…
Hello, friends!
I’m here with my coffee (brewed by my peach of a husband) and my waffle-requesting children, thinking about what it means to serve.
Let’s be honest, some people just don’t like the idea of serving. It conjures ideas of oppression and enslavement. But that’s not the kind of serving I’m talking about. Continue reading
Throughout her childhood, Leticia Riley had fleeting thoughts about becoming an obstetrician, a veterinarian, a biology teacher, or a writer – all careers that would allow her to help other human beings. Eventually, she decided to become a registered nurse.
Though Leticia’s career hopes changed over the years, one desire remained the same: to become a mother. Continue reading
You’ve heard it before: having children changes everything.
But it does. It really, truly does.
It prompts you to say things you never imagined having to say. Things like, “Please stop chasing after me with your wiener.” Things like, “No, I will not blow up the balloon you just pulled from your underwear.” Continue reading
REVISIONS OF GRANDEUR 