by Jessica Bolyard | Jan 24, 2013 | Faith
Soon after I graduated from college, I (very unexpectedly) took a position as youth minister at a local church. Some of the sweet girls in the youth group gave me a plant for my desk (apparently not knowing of the great likelihood that in doing so, they were...
by Jessica Bolyard | Jan 11, 2013 | Faith, Family
On her birthday morning, I woke her up by singing “Happy birthday.” She stirred, ever so slightly, and then pushed the blanket down off of her face. Before her eyes even opened to the sunlight, a smile lit up her face. Gift #1. Birthday pancakes and...
by Jessica Bolyard | Jan 9, 2013 | Faith, Fellowship
If you’ve “known” me long, you know that depression and anxiety is an undeniable part of my journey. It comes and goes, yes, in seasons that arrive as unexpectedly and as forcefully as a preschooler’s tantrum. (Honestly, sometimes it feels...
by Jessica Bolyard | Jan 2, 2013 | Faith
It had really been a very sweet evening until that point. We had gone through the routine: brushing teeth, bath time, back into her room for jammies, story time, and prayers. The same as every night, and it was going smoothly. Out of nowhere, though, she said...
by Jessica Bolyard | Dec 28, 2012 | Faith, Family
I’ve been writing letters to my daughter since she was born. They are in a nicely-bound book on a shelf, ready for her to read one day when she is much older and will appreciate the open window into her mother’s mind. Most of them are private, but a few...
by Jessica Bolyard | Dec 12, 2012 | Faith
Lately, it has begun the minute I get up in the morning. I turn on my iPod for background music as I wipe away the bleary-eyed remnants of sleep, attempting to get my head and my thoughts in the right place. It’s worship music – instrumental or vocal...
