I still wake up awestruck that I get to live and work and play and learn in a cozy little town in view of Central Oregon's Cascade Mountains. Nearly two decades ago, my husband and I left the central coast of California behind, hoping to offer the kids a slower, simpler lifestyle, more like what we knew growing up. Sure enough, it was a little bit Mayberry RFD, but it hasn't all been simple.

Yet now I hear my kids say they wouldn't dream of trading away the struggles and setbacks that have marked our journey because they've also marked us well—turning our ragged faith into faith that's a good bit rugged.

I'm an INFP and Enneagram 9w1, the beaming-proud mother of three, and Nana to two oh-so-charming grandkids. Our youngest child made her exit flight not that long ago, and she's a survivor, having weathered a frightening auto-immune disease called Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disease Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS). With her permission I sometimes write about those dark days and wakeful nights. Please, please, drop me an email if you ever have questions about PANDAS, or if your child's behavior changes radically overnight—anxiety, depression, OCD, disordered eating.

For a lot of years, I designed kitchens and custom furniture pieces. In the early days of blogging, I wrote about that and some other things over at The High Desert Home Companion. But then the economy took its tumble, and one day in 2009 I was given an unexpected invitation to rethink the second half of my life. When I came home and shared the news with my family, my then-ten-year-old grinned across the dinner table and said, "Now you can write your book!"

And recently, I did! But first I wrote hundreds of articles, both for our hometown paper and other publications, worked as an editorial director for five years before finding my way into freelance book editing, all the while reading, reading, reading novels and studying the craft of fiction. Also, Garth and I operate a sweet-smelling tea shoppe on the main drag, where I help conjure up the artisan tea blends we now ship to customers across the US.

Here's the biggest thing: grace is my lifeblood. I won't go into all the times the Lord has pulled me out of a self-made mud bath or seen me through a season of suffering. But my heart gushes with gratitude that I'm continually being redeemed for his glory, and that purpose is so often born of pain.

I like to record glimpses of God's genius and his grace found tucked among the mundane. It forces me to pay attention. What joy to breathe this holy air day after day—inhaling his presence, exhaling a hallelujah. But the truth is, it's easy to forget how to breathe this way. So I write about that too. And I invite you to breathe with me. Hope you'll stop by often. Better yet, sign up for my newsletter! I look forward to connecting.