Category: The Valley
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You Have to Trust
We were on month five of trying to conceive. Trapped in a vicious cycle of one negative pregnancy test after another. What seemed to be symptoms of pregnancy were again interrupted by the punch of my period starting. Every month of no baby seemed to bring a heavier weight, the…
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The Proof is in the Numbers
I know that Scripture is laden with comfort for sufferers — take the entire book of Job, over half the Psalms, Philippians, James, and Lamentations, to name a few. Such chapters of the Bible have been my go-to guides for mourning, hope, joy in trials, and peace in storms, and they don’t…
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Das’ not how I planned it!
When my little sister, Christen, was four or five, she would often perform elaborate acrobatic gymnastics from the ottoman to the floor to the rocking chair and back. If, for any reason, she would mess up her routine, she would exclaim in the cutest little pipsqueaky baby voice, “Das’ not…
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Morning Glory
Early this past summer, I was pretty gung-ho about gardening. We live on the second story of our apartment complex, so that eliminated the prospect of a super fruitful harvest, but I thought I could most certainly try to keep some potted plants alive on our balcony. I evenly dispersed…
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Saturday, August 12
We decided to stick together that night. It felt right to drive to Crawfordsville, to our parents’ house, the 10-acre lot with oak trees and a trampoline that was marked by a multitude of beautiful childhood memories. We were an incredibly close family who, frankly, had lived a relatively easy…
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Friday, August 11
That warm August afternoon, I did exactly what I planned to do. Almost. I walked to the park. I basked in the sun. I read a book. I planned how I was going to surprise Joe with a pizza picnic to celebrate the survival of week one. Mom was in…
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Tuesday, August 8
It was Tuesday, August 8th. School started in two days. It had been a busy couple of days full of meetings, professional development, and training the five new team members on my freshman English team. I ended up sneaking back to school late in the evening, removed from all the…
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Into the Storm
I’ve always thought it’s a beautiful thing, the way you can sense a storm on the horizon. The air has a mysterious chill against the backdrop of a yellow-grey sky and leaves turn their bellies heavenward in a display of silvery-green glory. It’s a providential warning, time to batten down…
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Grief and the Gospel
Hi! My name is Cali. I’m a 5’4 high school teacher with an affinity for good grammar, snack table grazing, corporate worship, and the great outdoors. I married a cute guy I first saw at a baseball game when he was called up to bat and I could not stop…
House on the Rock 