Ouch! Have you ever experienced progress or growth — a dream unfolding, a door opening, a blessing flowing — and suddenly it gets cut back? It’s easy to feel like something’s gone wrong. The initial sting tends to activate our inner critic. "I should have seen it coming!" "How could I have made such a foolish mistake?" "When will I ever learn?" After a recent disappointment, I lost heart. And then a friend reminded me about pruning. Pruning cuts away what looks alive. It trims even healthy growth so that the branch can thrive in the long term, bearing more fruit, richer fruit, lasting fruit. Without pruning, a plant will eventually get overgrown, tangled, and weak. Its energy will be scattered instead of focused. Its best potential will be stifled under the weight of too many branches. A master gardener sees what we cannot. They know when a branch is carrying too much. They know when old blooms, though beautiful once, are now stealing strength from what could be. They know that cutting back isn’t cruelty; it’s care. Knowing that I am a person of faith, my friend quoted John 15:2 where Jesus says: “Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Pruning i sn't punishment. It's not because we're failing. Pruning is preparation for a future harvest we can't yet imagine. In the midst of a disappointment, a broken heart, or the death of a dream, it's hard to believe that there could be something more and better than what you've lost. But while you have breath, it's never too late to dream another dream. I know, you thought, "This is IT!" And then, it wasn't. Feel all the feelings. Mourn the turn of events. But don't milk it for too long. Because (this bears repeating): While you have breath, it's never too late to dream another dream. One that will make the old one jealous, it's so much better. That burst of blooming? It wasn't wrong. But it had to be trimmed to channel the plant’s energy into even greater flourishing. The blessing wasn’t a mistake. It was a beginning. If you are in a season where it feels like life is being trimmed, shaped, or even painfully cut back — take heart. I'm not dismissing the pain. Pruning feels like loss. Like failure. Even rejection. But consider that instead of being cast aside, you are being cultivated.. You are not being punished. You are being prepared for something greater. And I can't wait to wa tch it bloom, for you AND me.

The word "nice" always felt "meh" to me. But life has me rethinking this word, because I'm experiencing how powerful nice can be. For half a year, I've been friends with David Wetherelt and our conversations are rich with meaning. He says things, and I find myself thinking about them for days to come. Then he does things that make my heart crunch. This was best displayed when traveling for work in January. I would have missed a church event that mattered to me. So he brought me on his phone (and put a tiara atop his device.)

Bleary-eyed and still un-caffeinated, I stumbled to my backyard to get early morning sun in my eyes as recommended by my celeb crush, Andrew Huberman .

No matter what I did, the tree wouldn't light up.

We don't get to choose what happens to us in life, but we do get to choose how we respond to these events. Even the most painful of losses, betrayals, disappointments, and heartbreaks can lead to beautiful outcomes. Maybe it's time to see your past through new eyes.

Is your life like a pair of stilettos one size too small?

How does the pit of your stomach feel on a Sunday night?

The music blasted, the disco lights flashed, and I channeled my inner Shakira.

People make three key mistakes when they communicate.