Family
It’s graduation season, which got me thinking about teenagers and living with them and how often I hear parents talk about how hard this season of life can be. It’s true, raising teens can be challenging. We raised three, and there were some really great days and some that were truly awful. Here are a few thoughts on dealing with the teenagers who live at your house. Give them clear guidelines. Read more […]
Read MoreNot Much Has Changed
A year ago today, I wrote about my messy relationship with church here: https://melodyreid.com/2015/05/02/i-have-a-messy-r…ship-with-church/ Today, when my TimeHop app reminded me about the post, I re-read it and realized that not much has changed. I still have a messy relationship with church. I still don’t have a church home. I don’t have a church community. I don’t have a place that Read more […]
Read MoreRIP Prince
The first time I remember feeling it was when Princess Diana died in August of 1997. Obviously, I did not know her, but I felt a grief when she died so tragically that felt out of proportion to my relationship with her. I was at the lake with my sister in law and I remember us both sitting on the couch crying like she was our personal friend. How could I feel such sadness about someone Read more […]
Read MoreOnce Upon a Time
Once upon a time in 1981, an Alabama girl named Melody Burroughs met a soccer player from Sewanee name Will.I know right? You can see what I saw in him. I did my best to fit in with his family, even down to wearing flannel, which wasn’t my style. Richard was about 11 and Charles would have been 15 or so. He was super athletic, so my parents bought me a bike so we could ride together? Read more […]
Read MoreBless Your Heart Jordan Spieth…
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this one says it all. Although Jordan led for most of the tournament, he ultimately wasn’t able to pull it out and Danny Willett claimed victory at the 2016 Masters Tournament. Danny, a 28-year-old golfer from Sheffield, England, was on the fence about even playing this year. His wife Nicole was pregnant with their first child, and he Read more […]
Read MoreDo As I Say Not As I Do
I am a licensed mental health professional. Who happens to have depression and anxiety and takes an SSRI medication every day. Until I don’t. A couple of weeks ago I made some changes to my medication regime and emptied out my daily pill container. In filling it back up, I neglected to put my depression meds back in the pill box. For the first day or so I didn’t notice anything different. About Read more […]
Read MoreI’m a Lent Failure. Or Am I?
In my faith tradition, growing up, we did not practice Lent. I had never heard of the Liturgical Calendar until I became a United Methodist as a young adult. Even then, churches I’ve belonged to over the years have not practiced this tradition. Even now at the Presbyterian Church I attend, we only celebrate the common church holidays like Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. I’ve often described Read more […]
Read MoreI Believe This is Going to be Our Finest Hour
I’m excited to share a sermon with you today by my dear friend Jay Madden. I’ve known Jay for 17 years and he has been an integral part of my story from the getgo. He is one of the ones who encouraged me to go back to school and get my masters in counseling. I remember telling him “I’ll be 50 by the time I graduate!” In his distinct, southern drawl he casually said, “Melody, in three years you’re gonna Read more […]
Read MoreMy Writing Questions
At the beginning of December, I had a 30 minute FaceTime call with my friend Micah Murray, who I have written about before. Micah runs the Clumsy Bloggers workshop that I’ve participated in, and he made himself available to us for some one on one time about issues we experienced as bloggers. These are the things I identified that I wanted help with: I’m a counselor, and I often struggle Read more […]
Read MoreRemember Thanksgiving?
I heard someone say this morning that there are 47 days until Christmas. How can that even be possible? Maybe it’s me, but I just don’t want to get caught up in it all this year. All the cultural trappings feel like such a distraction for some reason. I don’t like walking into Walmart or Lowe’s or Publix and seeing all the Christmas stuff front and center. I especially didn’t like it before Halloween Read more […]
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