Receiving the gift of strangers while traveling

July 19, 2025

As I write this, I’m sitting in an airport — again — waiting for the final flight of what has turned into a four-part flying series. My destination is finally within reach, but getting here? It’s been an adventure, and not just because of the travel itself. It’s been a journey in rediscovering the beautiful moments that can unfold when we stop clinging to control and simply let life happen, even in the chaos of customs lines and terminal dashes. Earlier today, I found myself in Brussels, inching forward in a customs line that moved at the pace of molasses. Each row ...

There is a certain feeling that never goes away

July 12, 2025

I will never, ever forget that feeling — the first time I held my son in my arms. Holy cow. The amount of love that poured into every crevice of my being was so full, so complete, it felt like it filled even the parts of me that no MRI or X-ray could ever detect. I didn’t even know those parts existed until that moment. And then, when I had my second son, that same wave of love came crashing in all over again — this deep, unexplainable, infinite kind of love. But alongside that all-consuming love, something else began to creep in. Fear. A fear so visceral and vivid that it ...

Figuring life out at 48 (and counting)

July 5, 2025

Let me tell you — figuring life out is not easy. I’m 48 years old. Yep. Forty-eight. Soon enough it’ll be 49, and then the inevitable and slightly horrifying gulp — 50. And I know, I know, I should be embracing it. Age comes with wisdom, experience and a whole lot of lessons. With each decade I’ve lived, I’ve gained a little more clarity on what’s actually significant and what’s just noise. I’ve learned when to lean in and when to throw up my hands and say, “Oh heck no, count me out.” That loud FOMO — fear of missing out — voice I had when I was ...

Passport, please: How saying ‘yes’ landed me in Poland

June 28, 2025

So, this weekend — if all goes according to plan — I’ll be over 4,000 miles away from home, somewhere in the beautiful country of Poland. Yep. Poland. Not the “drive three miles down 224” version I thought at first, but the actual Poland, across the Atlantic. And no, this isn’t a European family vacation or an “Eat, Pray, Love” journey of self-discovery (although let’s be honest, self-discovery is always part of it). This trip is something else entirely — a wild opportunity that came out of simply showing up and serving my community. Let me back up. If you know me ...

A love letter to pizza (and the people who love it differently)

June 21, 2025

There are few things more unifying and, oddly enough, divisive in this town than pizza. In Youngstown, pizza isn’t just dinner. It’s a love language. A debate sport. A weekly ritual. A personality trait. We take our slices seriously — but thankfully, not ourselves. And before we get into all the saucy styles our town has to offer, let me start with a confession. One that might shock you. Here’s the truth: when I was a little girl, if my family had pizza night — I cried. Actual tears. That’s right. I didn’t just dislike pizza… I hated it. (Same with pancakes, but ...

Blessed to create, blessed to receive

May 10, 2025

Have you ever thought of yourself as a creator? Or the recipient of what others have created? Or — maybe even more puzzling — the one who neither creates nor receives? The other day, as I was traveling back from D.C., I took the more scenic route through western Loudoun County. I let the GPS sit silent and just followed the road, feeling the soft rise of the mountains in the distance and the lush greenery that wrapped around me like a blanket. There’s something humbling about that stretch of land — the way nature just is, whether we’re paying attention or not. Whether ...