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Two Years of The Lantern Heart
It’s been a while since I’ve written here. Life got busy, and honestly, I just haven’t felt like writing much lately. But somehow, The Lantern Heart turned TWO! ❤️ I started this blog simply because I wanted a place to write. No big plans. No expectations. Just somewhere I could share my thoughts, stories, and…
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The Rooms I’m Not In
For a long time, she measured friendship by numbers. The more people around her, the more friends she had, the more liked she must be. And somewhere along the way, she started connecting that to her worth. If people liked her, maybe that meant she was a good person. If they didn’t… maybe there was…
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The Scale Doesn’t Know How Strong I’ve Become
Learning to measure my health by more than pounds—and finally giving my almost-50-year-old body the credit she deserves. I’ve been a diabetic since 2021. And if I’m being completely transparent, I hate that I’m on seven different medications for diabetes and other health conditions. Seven. Sometimes I look at them and think, How did I…
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Maybe I Was Never Meant to Be Just One Thing
Sometimes I catch myself thinking, At my age, shouldn’t I know what I want to be by now? I look around and see people who seem to have it all figured out. They found the thing they love, built careers around it, and somehow make it all look effortless. Meanwhile, I feel like I’ve spent my…
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“Girl, You’ve Gotten So Strong!”
I left the gym yesterday with a smile on my face. Not because I had my best workout. Not because I hit a personal record. But because of something someone said to me as we were leaving class. One of the ladies at the gym walked over and said, “Girl, you’ve gotten so strong!” She…
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When a Kids’ Movie Speaks to Parents
Today we watched Toy Story 5 as a family. My husband and I have always loved animated movies, even as adults. They might be made for kids, but they almost always leave us with something to think about. There were a few parts that got us teary-eyed. Some reminded us of our own childhoods, and…
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The Human Side of Forgiveness
Forgiveness has always been hard for me. I wish I could say that when someone hurts me, I can simply forgive, move on, and never think about it again. But that’s not how it works for me. Maybe it’s because I’ve always believed that forgiveness and forgetting go hand in hand. And if I’m being…
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A Decision that Helped Me Grow
One of the hardest yet most transformative decisions I made was letting go of a relationship that no longer nurtured me. For a long time, I believed that holding on was what made me a good person—and that walking away meant failure. Culturally, that belief ran deep, making the choice even more difficult. I stayed…
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Guarding the Light Within
One of the most meaningful changes I’ve made in my life is becoming more intentional about who I allow into my space. I used to believe that having a large circle of friends meant I was a good person—that being surrounded by many was somehow a reflection of my worth. But over time, I realized…
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Somewhere Between the Pages, I Healed
There was a season in my life when I felt completely lost… like I wasn’t enough. In the span of a year, I met heartbreak, deep loneliness, and the loss of my father. I learned how to carry it all quietly—how to look strong while feeling heavy. So I wrote. Page after page, I poured…