Today, June 5, 2024 marks 5 years since my mom went home to be with Jesus. As you’re reading this, I’m on a beach somewhere with my favorite latte, a few good books, and lots of words to be exchanged with God. Gratitude for the gift that is having Jane Boline as my mom. Grief that her story and mine ...
5 Years Later- You Will Move Forward
Today, June 5, 2024 marks 5 years since my mom went home to be with Jesus. As you’re reading this, I’m on a beach somewhere with my favorite latte, a few good books, and lots of words to be exchanged with God. Gratitude for the gift that is having Jane Boline as my mom. Grief…
Welcome to Share Your Story with Ellie!
Welcome to Share your Story with Ellie! I’m thrilled to be your host, Ellie B. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been fascinated and captivated by stories. Listening to my mom’s unintentionally hysterical accidents, jotting down anecdotes of a crazy interaction at the grocery store, or recalling antics of my friends that still make me…
Celebrating My Mom
Today is my mama’s birthday. A day I wish we were celebrating together with a piece of coconut cake (or two or three) at Biscotti’s rather than apart. I’m missing the everyday comfort and care I felt doing life with my best friend. I wanted to share an excerpt from one of the chapters of…
A Guide to 30A
I traveled to 30A for the first time as a senior in college, but it’s quickly become one of my very favorite places to be! Growing up in NE Florida, I had no idea that such a gem existed only a few hours away. 30A is the county road that runs 20 miles along the…
Year 25
Wow. What a year. 2020 stood still and flew by simultaneously! Do you feel similarly? You know that saying “the days are long, but the years are short”? That was 2020. That was Year 25. Over and over, my roommates and I talked about how we couldn’t imagine waking up to do the SAME day…
Surprise!
Finally getting around to sharing one of my favorite nights! I always read the last page of the book first, find the hidden Christmas presents, and guess the end to so many TV shows. But, they did it. I WAS COMPLETELY SURPRISED! The path to homeownership was a mix of so many things: divine purpose,…
The Entry Table
Most days this spot in our house probably goes unnoticed by the routine of dropping the mail or the busyness of heading to the next thing. But it’s so special to me. It’s my mama. This simple space is her place in my home. As I was preparing to move out with my friends, she…
I’ll Stay.
It was an unpredicted sunny Saturday. I sat on the beach by myself. It’s been an emotional day on a lot of levels. This week marks one year since my mama went to heaven. Not unexpectedly in the sense that she was in hospice care battling a very rare and aggressive form of cancer. But,…
MAY 12, 2019
May 12, 2019 Happy Mother’s Day, Mama! I could celebrate hundreds of days that honor you. I am who I am because of your unconditional love, wisdom, countless prayers, encouragement, and so much more! Lately, I’ve been thinking about the way you discovered your faith in Jesus and how you desperately prayed to have two daughters. I know…
The Spectrum of Awe
We’re all walking a path we’ve never walked before. However, the uncertainty of when this will end and the overwhelming feeling that Covid-19 has crept its way into every crevice of our lives is unfortunately an unwelcomed, familiar feeling for me.
Our First Christmas
It’s the first Christmas without her. Our first holiday season as a family of three. {Well, really a family of 4 instead of 5, because we know our little Annie B rules this roost.} This time of life is filled with many unwanted and unexpected firsts without our sweet Jane/mama. Today is also my first…
Thankful for You
Dear Mama, Today is a Day of Thanks, and I’m most thankful for you. I don’t know that anyone else could ever comprehend the relationship between the two of us, and I feel the gap almost every minute. This is the first official holiday without you, and my heart aches in completely different way. And although I want…
October 17th
It was a Tuesday two years ago that changed my life forever. October 17th is an anniversary I’d like to forget. And I promise you, it’s one that I never imagined would be without her here. It’s the day we heard the word “cancer”, not just in passing, but in description of my mom’s condition. …
Right Where I Am
It’s been two months since my mom went home, and I think each passing day (honestly, each ticking second on the clock) gets increasingly more unbearable. Have you ever watched dogs, when they think they hear a noise? Their ears perk up and move with each sound, and all of their senses stay focused on…
The Ripple Effect
I promise these are words I never imagined I would write. I’ve kept the faith, hoped against all hope, and believed that God could do the miracle I believed He promised even after my mom took her last breaths. I’m in pain but can take comfort in the fact that she’s home. Because of Jesus’s…
Guts of Faith
What do you do when you receive the worst new you could imagine? When the words you heard make your spine shiver and every muscle go limp? How do you move forward when the impossible fears hidden in the depths of your mind are not only possible- but reality? Now, what? These questions hit me…
In the Shadow
I recently flew over the Exumas, Bahamas. There’s something about flying high above the world that draws you to a different perspective- watching the cars seemingly move in slow motion and feeling as though you could reach down and rearrange the houses like legos. The world seems smaller. On this trip, everything below me was…
2017: Heart Abandoned
Two thousand seventeen was the year of the highest highs and lowest lows. As I’ve spent the last few weeks reflecting on everything I’ve learned this year, I am amazed at the lengths the Lord has taken me and overwhelmed by all He’s taught me in the midst. So, should I start with the good…
Choices
I’m not one to make decisions swiftly. In fact, I’m the kind who has to investigate every possible option and outcome until I even think of making a choice. But, it’s the word the Lord has been speaking to me over the past few days. There are a lot of choices being made every second…
A Season
It’s a word I never thought would be associated with my family. It’s an ugly word. So ugly I can’t even type it, because I refuse to give it weight. And even though its effects are a reality, that word does not define my mom, my family, or our story. We live under one identity-…
