Where Passion & Purpose Collide
I first met this small package of dynamite back in 2002, when my then-fiance was introducing me to “his people”. With a smile that lights up the room, and the most delightful freckles, this gal immediately caught my eye. Her commitment to allow her broken-heart-made-whole story to fuel her passion to unconditionally love the lost and lonely, through foster care, is both astonishingly beautiful and incredibly… Read More
I had heard of this talented gal – and had watched her perform (with her crazy-amazing voice and gorgeous curls) – long before I’d had the pleasure of meeting her in the flesh. Leaving her home state of Michigan to grow new roots in Florida, this wife and momma has a story of struggle and resilience that will inspire both hope and greater levels of intentionality in your… Read More
This sweet cow-huggin’, cookie-bakin’, math-teachin’ Alabama girl captured my heart early on during our mutual rendezvous with The Influence Network. Her honesty and vulnerability is both refreshing and convicting, and her story hope-stirring. Meet Ali… WHAT’S YOUR STORY, MORNING GLORY? I grew up in a wonderful Christian home, but it wasn’t until I met the end of myself that I truly met the… Read More
I met this feisty female several years ago when she was MCing an event I was speaking at..and she may or may not have been wearing massive amounts of camo and rhinestones at the time. I quickly fell in love with her sassiness, along with her delightful sense of style. She’s a wife, mom & grandma, and a well-loved speaker & author. Meet Marlene…… Read More
Let’s not pretend that we don’t have a problem on our hands. And let’s not pretend it isn’t a deep-seated, tender, ripped-raw one. Let’s not pretend that sin doesn’t abound where words are many, or that complete silence is any better. Let’s not pretend that hard conversations don’t need to take place, or that we’ll not have to stay silent… Read More
Sometimes when you have a massive amount of design work to pump out and 3 talks for 2 different events to prep for, and your little ones require some non-ice-cream or screen-time related bribery to let you completely ignore them and work… You promise them a little studio time of their own…and they end up killin’ it. Which then inspires a little more design work… Read More
Alstoemeria. A common flower, if ever I’ve seen one. Put a few flashy flowers – like gerbera daisies, a cluster of ranunculus or a pincushion protea for flare – into an arrangement, and you can simply pad it with greenery and alstoemeria. She’s the ‘filler’ of flower department, if you will. Not too costly, not too fancy. She adequately fills in where the important… Read More
Dear watercolor paint. I’m all in. Hook, line and sinker, baby, you’ve got me. You have my artsy heart…all 27 crimson shades of it. I don’t know what took me so long to realize it, but you and I, we’re a good fit. You’re fluid and forgiving, vibrant and subtle all in one sweep. You move and blend, but stay put when… Read More
Hello, my name is Joy…and I’m an input junkie. It’s true. I am somewhat obsessed with gathering information, gleaning nuggets of wisdom, and putting into action what I learn, in my personal, professional or spiritual life. I read several books at the same time (although have a bad habit of not finishing them all), listen to books on Audible, and fold laundry… Read More
Tears sprang to my eyes without warning. I stood at the door wringing my hands like “those other” nervous moms do. My not yet 6 year old was leaving with her Daddy and our dear “Uncle” to give blankets to the cold, shoes to the shoeless and umbrellas to the roofless. Our oldest daughter is our little one… Read More
Yes, believe it or not, I am still alive. Alive and kicking, complete with jazz hands. It was over tea with a new friend a few weeks ago that I realized just long it had been. How long since I’d started this little blog, and how long it had been since I’d actually written on it. While it wasn’t intentional,… Read More
Forget whiskers on kittens and bright copper kettles! Give me a hot cup of tea and some chia seed pudding any day of the week and you’ll have my heart! (I do love a good brown paper package tied up with string, though. Especially if it contains a can of coconut milk or a pair of Warner’s anti-muffin-top underwear). I’m a practical girl,… Read More
