listening – A Grain of Salt

The Law I Couldn’t Keep

Published April 27, 2026

Plebe Summer tested everything I thought I knew about my body and my will. The academic year tested something else entirely. I was up before dawn for swim practice. Even after validating some courses, the math and science requirements were formidable. A roommate conflict added friction to the hours I was supposed to call rest. But none of that was the heaviest weight. The heaviest weight was private. I heard myself curse. I heard myself…

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Why celebrate?

Published April 20, 2026

One Woman’s Lived History from the Second Wave I’m interrupting the distant past for a glimpse of the more immediate past, the 50th Anniversary of Service Women at the Academies, and specifically the USNA Women’s celebration in Annapolis. More than 800 women and men, spanning five decades, gathered to mark this milestone. What unfolded over four days was the result of more than a year of effort, a true labor of commitment and care. There…

Stress Fractures

Published March 30, 2026

Stress fractures don’t start as breaks. They start as murmurs: small, invisible warnings the body gives before something finally gives way. A stress fracture is a tiny crack, or deep bruising, in a bone caused by repetitive, overloading forces. It usually shows up in the legs or feet when fatigued muscles stop absorbing shock and instead pass that stress directly to the bone. But not all stress fractures show up on X-rays. After eight weeks…

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A Seed Grows

Published September 8, 2025

I am currently a student at the Renovaré Institute, a two-year online and in-person school dedicated to learning how to live in deeper intimacy with God. The program blends academic study with practical exercises aimed to shape us to become more like Christ. In August, our practice was to pray the “Jesus Prayer”, an early Christian prayer dating back to the 6th century. The invocation of Jesus’ name began even earlier, and the “Jesus Prayer” has…

Defying Gravity

Published July 7, 2025

So here I am, officially in a zone I never wanted to join, the “worry about falling” club. You know the one? Where every step becomes a calculation, every uneven sidewalk a potential hazard? In the past year, my bum knee has betrayed me twice. Same pattern both times: knee refuses to extend fully, gravity wins, and down I go. It’s humbling, really, how something as simple as walking can suddenly feel like a high-stakes…

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“Does Size Matter?” and Other Questions I Don’t Really Want to Answer

Published May 19, 2025

This past week, with Mother’s Day, I was asked (again):“What’s it like having nine kids?” Now, let’s be clear. Size does not matter. But it can sure feel like it does. Large families tend to invite wide-eyed questions, whispered comments in the grocery line, or nods of awe, as if I climbed Everest with a baby carrier. I get it. Nine is not subtle. But I never chased a number. I wasn’t collecting children like…