GodsmackedBy Ashlie Miller When was the last time you were gobsmacked by love as a recipient or by learning of someone else’s love for another? I’m not […]
- The Road to Big Rock
By Ashlie Miller If you listen closely, you will likely hear something beckoning you outdoors after a long, cold winter (for us anyway). It may be birds […]
- Much More Than a Crutch
By Ashlie Miller In Pollyanna, the bright, cheery main character plays the “glad game,” where she considers joy and gratitude in the face of […]
- Sacred Trails Through Snow & Shadows
By Ashlie Miller For hours, we watched for updated forecast posts on social media. We saw the gaping hole in the map that seemed to say to the snowstorm, […]
- Making the Most of a Not-So-Snowy Day
By Ashlie Miller We were braced for it: a well-stocked pantry for cozy recipes thanks to an email newsletter; boots brought from the garage to be warm […]
- Shared Stories, Changed Lives
By Ashlie Miller Holidays sometimes provide unique opportunities to hear grand stories of someone’s life. You may have collected some new ones […]
- A Full Plate of Gratitude for the New Year
By Ashlie Miller Golden cornbread, deep dark collard greens, side meat and black-eyed peas in a dish of Hoppin’ John. Red beans, andouille sausage, and […]
- Christmas the Year Around
By Ashlie Miller “Bah, humbug” may be the most familiar quote from Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, but another quote captures who the man becomes […]
- White Lights, Color Lights, and the Brightest Light
By Ashlie Miller “There are two types of people – those who like white lights and those who like colored lights. And they marry each other.” I read […]
- Restoring the Merry in Christmas
By Ashlie Miller February may be the shortest month on the calendar, but many of us would agree that no month flies by as quickly as December. My children […]
- The Melting Snow, the Waiting Heart
By Ashlie Miller Last week’s white dusting either met you with delight or an eye-roll. “Marked safe during snowmageddon,” quipped some […]
- Genealogies of Grace
By Ashlie Miller Were you among those waiting for Mariah Carey to “thaw” and ring in the Christmas season with her “All I Want for Christmas”? Perhaps you […]
- How to be a Grateful Complainer
By Ashlie Miller Is this a demanding season for you? It seems to be for many of us. Maybe everyone needs your input or your listening ear while you […]
- Giving Thanks When You Don’t Feel Grateful
By Ashlie Miller Is Thanksgiving about giving thanks for what we have? “We’re blessed,” we say, often remarking on our surroundings and provisions. But […]
- Thanksgiving in the Midst of Unrest
By Ashlie Miller Like many parents of young children, I took my youngest two children and a neighbor to the Cabarrus Arena’s Touch a Truck event […]
- The Rhythm of Rest
By Ashlie Miller At the expense of offending lovers of spring, summer, and winter, I submit the following: Of all the seasons in the South (at least […]
- Two Ships, Two Stories
By Ashlie Miller Recently, my family of 7 embarked on a vacation to visit a couple of different sailing vessels, which anyone will tell you is more of a […]
- Unanswered Questions
By Ashlie Miller How do you make sense of the last 4+ years? Or let’s narrow it down to just 2024? Do you have more recent events in mind? Maybe you have […]
- Songs from the Storm
By Ashlie Miller By now, you have heard of many creative ways to support Hurricane Helene victims in our state. Many artists have joined together to hold […]
- What is Hope After a Hurricane
By Ashlie Miller Do you have times when a theme or word pops up prevalently in your life? Hope has been that word for me recently. I first noticed it […]
