Sarai felt desperation tugging at her heart, seeping in the edges of her sanity. She had never wanted anything more than to have a family with Abram. Each passing year of wandering felt as if they were wandering farther and farther from hope. Hope deferred was making her heartache. She racked her brain regularly to figure out how to make…

I’m going to say it. I’m going to say the one thing that confident, independent, ambitious single women are never supposed to say, especially in the new year. I’M TIRED OF BEING SINGLE. I know. I kind of cringe even writing it. But it’s the truth. Another truth is I’ve revised this essay several times because at first, I was…

Forty. 40. Four-tee. 4-0. I keep rolling this number over my tongue. Tasting it. Trying to see what it feels like to say it. No matter how I tell it to myself and others, it’s the same thing. I am officially a forty-year-old woman. I’ve been saying “I’m almost forty” for a few years, but now that the day has…

Jacob paced back and forth outside the tent. He stopped in his tracks and his shoulders went up to his ears when I let out a loud groan from the labor pains. This was my fourth child. Seeing him tense and worried during my labor actually gave me comfort. Perhaps he really did love me more than I realized. Maybe,…

Everything about this year has shifted how we see things. Work looks different so therefore, I see my coworkers in a different light. Everyday errands look different so therefore, I look at those working in grocery stores and delivering goods as essential workers. Friends and family have become a lifeline, so I view our communication as necessary instead of optional.…

Cecilia stood at the entrance of the tent with her hand to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun. She was on the lookout for her husband. One of the neighbor’s young sons said the soldiers were on their way back home. She repeatedly looked out on the horizon every few minutes, anxious for his arrival.…