Quick Lil’ Snippets of My Work

“I remember one boy ran in, kicked off his shoes, and said, ‘Hey, Mom, I’m home!’ That’s what it’s about—when the kids truly feel a sense of belonging with their parents, even in these makeshift spaces. Love does that. A love that rings so loud and true, the kids can’t help but kick off shoes and squeal in delight, because they’re finally home.” — Magnolia Journal, Winter 2022, pg. 103

“One time a sperm whale got close enough that his clicking was literally hurting my chest. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel him. When all my senses are fully present to something that majestic, I wake up. This wild beauty beneath the surface draws out what’s going on beneath the surface in me.” — Magnolia Journal, Winter 2022, pg. 105

And maybe that’s the true gift of hospitality: space for you to understand your need and then its generous readiness to meet it. — Magnolia Journal, Summer 2022, “The Heart of Hospitality”

For every person who invites her art into their lives, Ellen hopes it reveals the everyday beauty all around them—because everyone is worthy of having beautiful things they love in their home. — Ellen Mote Art

Here there are no walls—and no bounds for what you’ll grow next. — Magnolia gardening email

Even with a room bustling with questions and personalities, there they were—at the head of the class. Leading, day after day, with the kind of fortitude that isn’t easily swayed—that only rings truer the longer we’re outside of their classroom. — Magnolia blog, “A Note to Our Teachers”

The Silo District Marathon is rooted in hope for what can be, courage to chase the impossible, and purpose that guides every step. — Magnolia blog, “More Than a Race”

For as much time as she spent in her kitchen, Mema Pat probably would not have considered herself a chef. But we don’t herald “grandmother’s cooking” because it’s fancy or grand. It becomes ingrained in our memories because there, beneath the surface of her meals, magic was happening. The way her heart showed through the movement of her hands, kneading, chopping, and stirring. How her worn and sauce-stained recipes seemed like old friends. — Magnolia Journal, Spring 2022, “Nurtured for Generations”

Ironically, the person who taught me how to approach every day of caring for my dad was my dad. My whole life I’d been watching him take every obstacle in stride. He didn’t whine when things got tough, and he didn’t dance when things were great either. He was just…steady.” — Magnolia Journal, Summer 2021, pg. 102

I hope there’s some sort of special reward in heaven for people who continuously do things they’re not good at, because running has never been easy for me, and I’ve been doing it for 13 years. — Baylor Faith & Sports Institute blog, “Do the Hard Thing”

He and Michael heard those coveted, miraculous words that tell you that you’ve succeeded. They heard the words that reflected who Michael had become after all those months and years of recovery, for fighting against the impossible: “Michael Bigogno, you are an Ironman!” — Runner’s World, “After a Nearly Fatal Brain Injury, One Athlete’s Redemption With an Ironman”

Due to the afternoon sun’s position, the light seems unable to touch her. As she remains motionless, almost haunting the cobblestones that lay before her, I run past her towards the city gate. I stop to walk quietly in an attempt to not disturb the woman gazing up at Mary’s shrine or the elderly gentleman lighting a candle. — Travel journalism course in Croatia, “Zagreb Through a Runner’s Eyes”

The only way to see southeastern Peru’s greatest treasures is where technology dare not go—on foot. Welcome to Cusco. — Paste Magazine, “World Running Guide: Cusco, Peru”

Lauren Gibbs, currently pumping some serious iron at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, entered the bobsledding scene just three years ago. Now at 33, she’s training hard to hopefully make it to the 2018 Olympic Games. Paste Health talked with Gibbs about her journey from getting her executive MBA to becoming a national and world champion in bobsledding. Oh, and she reveals her squat and deadlift numbers (it’s insane). — Paste Magazine, “Fit Chicks: U.S. Women’s Bobsledder Lauren Gibbs”