Words in the Raw

“Uncle Dave” is a snapshot of my favorite uncle.  Listen to episode 44 for the full podcast. 

“The Man in the New York Subway” captures an unforgettable moment with a stranger. 

“The Welshman” details my final moments with and fond recollections of my great uncle Dave. Listen to episode 42 for the full entry. 

“The Boy on the Bus” recalls the innocent perceptions of childhood. Listen to episode 41 for the full snapshot. 

“The Girl With the Red Glasses” highlights details about my closest childhood friend. Listen to episode 40 for the full entry.  

“Vintage” reflects on how things age and take on new significance. Listen to episode 39 for the full podcast. 

“You Took the Coward's Way” touches upon infidelity and the betrayer.  Listen to episode 38 for the full podcast. 

“Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned” touches upon infidelity and being betrayed. Listen to episode 37 for the full podcast.  

“See My Color” sorts through perception. Listen to episode 36 for the full podcast.

PISODE DESCRIPTION “Snapshot of Me” creates a word portrait of who I am. Listen to episode 35 for the full podcast.  

“Let Me Be a Tree” ponders ways in which trees serve humankind. Listen to episode 34 for the full entry.  

“Spring Within” features journal entries about feeling the seasons inside you. Listen to episode 33 for the full podcast.

“The Wind” features journal entries and a poem about this incredible element. Listen to episode 32 for the full podcast.  

“A Walk with Renner” captures the beauty of an every day moment with my son. Listen to episode 31 for the full entry.

“Hum of Life” seeks after the extraordinary parts of an ordinary day. Listen to Episode 30 for the full entry.

“The Door” explores star-crossed love. Listen to Episode 29 for the full podcast.

“The Smell of Green” explores the impact of color on one's senses. Listen to Episode 28 for the full podcast.

“Two Times God Reached Me” recalls experiences with a Higher Power.

“Little Sister” delves into the unique bond of sisterhood. Listen to episode 26 for the full poem.

“Dandelions Gone to Seed” offers gratitude for overlooked beauty. Listen to episode 25 for the full poem.

“The Threads Between Us” discusses the evolving nature of friendship. This is the 7th and final episode in the series, “Pearls of Broken Things.” Listen to Episode 24 for the full entry.

“The Lonely Road” walks through feeling alone and finding the courage to move forward. This is the 6th episode in the series, “Pearls of Broken Things.” Listen to Episode 23 for the full entry.

“You're Free” traverses through the times we've broken and how honoring those experiences is the beginning of setting us free. This is the 5th episode in the series, “Pearls of Broken Things.” Listen to Episode 22 for the full entry.

“Scaly Creatures” reaches for the misunderstood and misjudged. This is the 4th episode in the series, “Pearls of Broken Things.” Listen to Episode 21 for the full entry.

“Demons Unworthy” confronts the battle with one's inner demons. This is the 3rd episode in the series, “Pearls of Broken Things.” Listen to Episode 20 for the full entry.

“My Friend Killed His Wife” wrestles with the harsher side of human nature. This is the 2nd episode in the series, “Pearls of Broken Things.” Listen to Episode 19 for the full entry.

“The Black Abyss” grapples with feeling caught and abandoned in darkness. This is the 1st episode in my new series, Pearls of Broken Things. Listen to Episode 18 for the full entry.

“Throwing Rocks” visualizes difficult feelings, sees them clearly for what they are, and then lets them go. Listen to episode 17 for the full entry.

“Regret” is an essay discussing regret as a punisher or teacher. Tune in to episode 16 for the full shebang.

“Lightning Girl” is a short story about feeling stuck and breaking free. Tune in to episode 15 for the full narrative.

“Feed the Birds” examines how we respond to conflict and teaching moments. Tune in to episode 14 for the journal entry.

“Courage” explores what it means to be brave. Tune in for the full poem.

“Seventy Times Seven” is a devotional that explores personal forgiveness and prayer from a Christ-centered standpoint.

“Hush Baby, Mama's Here” copes with a mother's sorrow and loss. Please listen to this episode for the full poem.

The journal entry “The Mother Body” explores the gift of the body and what it means to create and give life as a mother. Tune in for the full entry.

The letter “Treasure Box of My Children” describes how I shore up the tiny moments with my sons, the things that paint motherhood in living color.

The journal entry “Savoring Tuck-In” captures the little moments of motherhood that make the everyday extraordinary. Listen in for the full entry. [Pearls of Motherhood]

This letter “To the Girl Who's Not Yet Mine” is my way of coping with what will not be, of expressing the things I long for and cannot have. Listen in for the full letter. [Pearls of Motherhood]

This is the second in the series Pearls of Motherhood. “Feet and Hands” reaches for the sands of time we cannot grasp and relishes the joy of living in the present with your loved ones. Tune in for the full poem.

Motherhood lives in different spaces for each of us. The spaces we're in change from day to day. I wrote “Motherhood” to grasp some of the ebb and flow of motherhood. Listen to the episode for the full poem. [Pearls of Motherhood]

Is there someone in your history calling to you? Is there a quiet longing inside you to know what of your gifts, talents, and attributes are actually a family inheritance? Traits that are not just yours, but a common link between you and generations before and after? Explore this with me in “The Women in Me.”

We all come from somewhere, we all have history. History we may know nothing about. Or we may be fully steeped in the traditions of our roots. No matter what we understand about our ancestry, our personal heritage is filled with the effort and sacrifice of others. Explore this with me in the poem I wrote called “The Language in My Veins.”

Have you ever written a love letter to yourself? In January of 2021, I was doing some self-help work and writing a love letter to myself was an encouraged exercise. The process was illuminating and reminded me that there are things about me that I do love and are pretty awesome. What do you love about yourself?

Hello! Get to know me and what Words in the Raw is all about.