Life & Culture

life • cul·ture

/līf/   /ˈkəlCHər/

Every experience we walk through that affects our very existence; the external influences of the world we live in that shape us and impact our thoughts, actions, and daily routines.

when someone you love is contemplating suicide

When Someone You Love Is Contemplating Suicide

*The reality of suicide has touched the lives of several of the writers at The Grit & Grace Project so we are taking the opportunity to share our hearts. As the daughter of someone who took their own life, there are things I have learned since that fateful day. I am in no way an expert, but in searching for answers I have gleaned a few things from those who are. If life had a do-over I would have done these things prior to my father’s death, and I want to share them with you: 1. Do not dismiss their level of depression. It does not matter how full of life they may have been in the past. If they are deeply struggling, the possibility […]

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Learning to Breathe, and Face Depression

Learning to Breathe, and Face Depression

Once upon a time I had my dream job working for a nationally recognized magazine. During my tenure there, I became a first-time mother. I had always imagined that when my first baby arrived, I would instinctively want to stay at home. I did not. I adored my son, but I missed my work. So, when he reached twelve weeks old, I returned to my job. It was a juggling act, for sure, but with the help of my husband and a flextime schedule, it worked. When the day came that we started talking about increasing our family yet again, I knew that for me it was time to consider walking away from my job. It feels like a sacred confession to

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Let Them Teach

Let Them Teach

I have heard the cries of teachers I know, family and friends, the caretakers of our children. I have watched as their passion has been eroded by the demands of the career they have chosen, demands that have nothing to do with teaching. I have taken their words in hopes of giving them a voice. By doing so it is my hope that the gatekeepers of education will listen, hear and let them teach. That they’ll be given the freedom to lead the next generation anchored in the grit of an educator, laced with unending grace. I am a teacher. I sit in my classroom each morning being welcomed by the tender little faces hanging up their backpacks, chattering all the way

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From the Peacemakers in Our Current Climate

There’s a lot of bad news rolling in these days and quite honestly, it’s heavy. People hating one another, hurting one another, blaming one another… And worst of all, choosing “sides.” People are forming groups and setting up camp—ready to fight for a multitude of reasons. However, there is another group who have no claimed “side” other than humanity itself—they are the peacemakers. These people are hurting too, along with all of the other groups… But the peacemakers are not hating anyone, hurting anyone, or blaming. They are simply aching. But they’re also working… They’re fighting, but their flag is of every color, nation, and language. The peacemakers are doing the very thing that we all need to be doing—loving others. How?

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10 Tips for Cheap DIY Summer Fun

10 Tips for Cheap DIY Summer Fun

I’ll put my cards on the table and tell you all up front—I don’t love summer. I do love my birthday, which happens to be in the summertime! But I don’t love sweating and bug bites and not being able to start the dang weed-eater. However, I have made an effort the past couple of years to enjoy summer when it rolls around by making a list of fun things to do and referring to it throughout the season. And because I am a penny-pincher, you won’t have to sweat your bank account balance to pull off these ideas. All ten will only set you back $10 or less. (Side note: I make no apologies for the number of times ice cream is

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Freedom From Your Smartphone Addiction (Not Really)

Freedom From Your Smartphone Addiction (Not Really)

Oh good grief, you say, you’re not addicted to your smartphone! You just like it, and, you know, it’s how you communicate with your friends and family. And you get such great ideas from Pinterest and Instagram! And your friend’s mom is having surgery across the country, so it’s absolutely necessary to check Facebook to find out how it went! And your kids need to be picked up and you need to be ready! I get it! Because if my iPhone doesn’t ding or I don’t see an alert show up on my Snapchat icon every 30 seconds or so, I have to check! Did I miss it? I. CAN’T. MISS. IT! Well, actually, I can. And you can, too. Because the truth is,

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How to Start Your Own Granny Camp

How to Start Your Own “Granny Camp”

Several years ago I began Granny Camp. Yes, that means I’m a grandmother (even though I’m the cool one that rides a Harley). I haven’t completely lost my mind… There is a purpose. Granny Camp is a way to have quality time with grandkids without their parents around; and to give cousins opportunities to make lifetime memories with one another. Last but not least, to invest in my daughters/son’s marriages by giving them a much needed break from parenting, so they can invest in those often-ignored relationships. My adult children appreciate it and the grandkids look forward to it every year. I get them all to myself—to love and adore! It’s a win-win for all. I promise that it is the biggest return on any investment that

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Summer Reading List—Second 5

Summer Reading List—Part 2

Want to see what our contributors are reading this summer? Check out 5 more of their picks below: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (Novel) Suggested by Ashley Johnson The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World’s Most Beloved Neighbor by Amy Hollingsworth (Biography) Suggested by Rachel Graham Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown (#1 New York Times bestseller) Suggested by Annie Leigh Edwards Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (#1 National Bestseller) Suggested by Phyllis Everette 100 Things I Wish I Knew in My Baby’s First Year: Keys to Making Parenting Easier

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If Only Life Had Photoshop

If Only Life Had Photoshop

Standing in the grocery aisle looking at the magazines covers, I find myself pondering. Not on who is divorcing, marrying, cheating, too fat, too thin, or simply confused about their sexuality. Nope; I’m pondering how amazing the ladies who grace these covers look. Well, of course they do, there is a wonderful software called Photoshop! I’d look pretty darn good, too, if they did that to me! But alas, it’s not going to happen—don’t even really want it to. But at one time, photo-shopping the imperfections out of my life is something I would have seriously considered. I did not want my blunders, errors, and life faux pas to be seen by the masses. That is no longer true! A bunch of years ago I

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Summer Reading List—First 5

Summer Reading List—Part 1

Want to see what our contributors are reading this summer?  Check out 5 of their picks below: Back In The Day Bakery—Made With Love by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day (Food/Cooking) Suggested by Linda Clements All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Derr (Novel; Pulitzer Prize Winner) Suggested by Renee Clifford and Teresa Morgan Christian Manning: A Father, His Sons, & a Football Legacy by Archie & Peyton Manning, with John Underwood (Memoir) Suggested by Teresa Morgan Christian For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards By Jen Hatmaker (Christian Literature) Suggested by Whitney Hsu and Annie Leigh Edwards And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (Mystery Novel) Suggested by Darlene Brock You can find 5 more suggestions here: Summer Reading List—Part 2. We know that not everyone has

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Young-Cop,-I'm-Praying-for-You

Young Cop, I’m Praying for You

Exactly 12 hours before the Orlando nightclub massacre, I sat at a window in Chipotle and saw a police officer get into his car to go back on duty after a late lunch. He was young and handsome, and I instantly thought of the 20-something men in our family, men we love, men we would fear for if they were wearing his pressed black uniform. He confidently and calmly drove away and I thought, You, young cop, leaving Chipotle with your belly full, your mind perhaps on your afternoon patrol ahead, or maybe on something else; a girlfriend, tonight’s Stanley Cup playoffs, your next day off. You, young cop, I’m praying for you. I hope your mama prays for you, but even

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Work Overload Killing You?

Work Overload Killing You?

Five things I learned to keep me from drowning at work: 1. Touch a paper or view an email once. Deal with it immediately, put it in the trash or a flag it “waiting for more info” box because more is coming later. 2. Make coworkers do their own thinking. If they want input give it, but ask them to bring you the ideas they have developed, you will look them over. 3. Manage your time don’t let others do it for you. Keep a calendar and follow it, allow time for quick questions but go to the coworkers desk, you can leave when you need to. 4. Close your door or hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your cubicle. When

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She Did it Again When Britney Hurts My Body Image

She Did it Again: When Britney Hurts My Body Image

Yesterday I was in the checkout line, hiding unwashed hair beneath my baseball cap, pretending that I was not reading the current gossip magazines… But I just couldn’t help myself when I saw the “BREAKING NEWS!” Yep… Britney Spears got her body back. No more crazy-rock-bottom-shaved-head-Disney-star-gone-wild Britney. Now, it is the HIT-ME-BABY-ONE-MORE-TIME-I-can-rock-a-slightly-inappropriate-schoolgirl-midriff-after-having-kids Britney! I am happy for Britney. She worked hard to get those abs! But when I saw this article, my first reaction was to throw it down on the ground and stomp all over it. I kept my composure, of course, because I am from the south… But I did want to drop kick that article. It is not fair. I look at my body in the mirror (after three kids) and it

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5 Moving Tips from a Gypsy Girl

5 Moving Tips from a Gypsy Girl

I can just hear Darth Vader mouth-breathing and saying over me, “The gypsy force is strong with this one.” With my dad in the military, my moving adventures began several months after my birth. Apparently my tent pegs are not meant to be in concrete yet, because moving is still a part of my life. With this experience, I offer 5 tips from a gypsy: 1. Packing Paper  This stuff can get expensive, but it’s necessary. (You can use your towels for some things.) I like to go to my local Recycling Station for newspapers. It’s most often FREE! Many are discards from the local news business. The leftovers are clean and plentiful at the Recycling Stations I have used. Of course, you can

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Lessons-From-the-Middle-School

Lessons From the Middle School

Every day I’m surrounded by 300 middle school students. My office is nestled in the seventh grade hallway, wedged within the girls’ locker bay. It smells of vanilla and baby powder. Further down the hall sits the boys’ lockers, and this hallway does not smell like vanilla and baby powder. It has a strange odor that I’ve yet to name, even though I have two teenage boys myself. When we think of middle schoolers, we often think of all the wisdom we would like to impart during these formative years. And there is a lot! However, I’m realizing that my days with teenagers probably teach me as much as I am teaching the kids. Here are a few things that I am

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