By Dawn Onley Today, I’m thankful for faith. I’m grateful that there’s a hope that defies logic. I’m in awe of how children practice faith — so completely. We can learn a lot about faith from a child. Children don’t question for a moment that we will catch them when they jump or when they fall. They…

By Samantha McKenzie I find it interesting how women form relationships around things they have in common. How we build friendships and bonds over obvious similarities, like race or religion, or kinship. How we corral around adventures and hobbies, like hiking or running, quilting or painting. And interestingly enough, how we form some of our deepest bonds around…

By Dawn Onley We don’t need to wait for them. And by “them” I mean anyone outside of ourselves. To protest wrongful acts. To stand (or kneel) for what we believe in. To start a new thing. To change. Heck, to be happy. Sure, it’d be nice to have the support of others to help…

By Samantha McKenzie Real life happens in very brief, random, fleeting moments. Sometimes, if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss it. It can be made up of split second decisions or the final result of well thought out plans –either way, it unfolds right before our eyes. Real life happens way before you walk into…

By Dawn Onley A recurring thought keeps bumbling about my brain these past few weeks: “Dawn,” it reminds me in a familiar voice that sounds a lot like my own. “When you send up a prayer, make sure you’re ready when God answers.” Don’t brood on it and don’t forget about it. Don’t leave it…

By Samantha McKenzie If you don’t live and breathe by your calendar entries and your alarm clock, this message is not intended for you. If you don’t write to-do lists and accumulate post-it notes that remind you to check your to-do lists, you are welcome to skip past the rest of this blog. If you…

“Why is it that gratitude is often silent while ungratefulness demands to be heard?” – Dawn Onley By Dawn Onley I love the holiday season. The beauty of the season always enraptures me, the smell of food, the embrace of family, the festive decorations and crackle of the fireplace, the timeless holiday classics on TV,…

By Samantha McKenzie To become a butterfly, a caterpillar must first digest itself. Let that sink in.   The cells that survive this process turn into a soupy substance that later forms the eyes, wings, antennae and other adult structures. The job of the caterpillar is so depressingly complex that its metamorphosis can only be…

By Dawn Onley I have much to say, and nothing at all. I went to bed depressed last night, after watching returns come in for Florida and Georgia, Texas, Ohio and my home state of Maryland. I wondered how in several of these states, Republicans could be rewarded for their antics just over the past couple of months let…

By Samantha McKenzie I’m a long-time lover of track and field and of super heroes, like my friend Dawn Onley, who takes on big challenges like running a marathon. My oldest daughter ran track (400m and 800m) in middle school and my youngest daughter is trying out for her high school track team on Wednesday….