The door opens. A home screen. A blank document. A blinking cursor. A vast red tent. An expansive table. A seat for me. “Friendship” reads the place card. The host invites me, “Tell us a story.” And so I do.
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All articles filed in Community
The One Where We Say Goodbye
An outdated Chromebook sits atop my lap. A warning appears just before the screen turns black. Jiggling the charger, I turn it slightly counterclockwise, hoping for enough connection to power the laptop on once again. For years, this laptop has required a power cord to operate, as it’s unable to function on battery alone. Seated…
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Home
I AM RADIANT, VIBRANT, AND MAGNETIC. These are the tender, yet bold, and, honestly, very necessary words a beloved friend strategically taped to my desk when I wasn’t looking. I’m in a season where the language I use to talk about who I am, my personality, and my strengths and weaknesses feels like it can…
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Hello Dear Friends
Over a decade ago, my mother, Tracy, welcomed you to a tiny corner of the internet that was slowly unfolding as Red Tent Living. The website was always intended to be a place where women could come and connect in the middle of our messy and hard ordinary. Red Tent Living wasn’t about perfectly curated…
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To Strong Bourbon and Kind Witnesses
I take a tight sip of my Eagle Rare before setting it back on the bar to turn and face my mother. With her hand gently grasping her own pour, we share a knowing glance. I am allowing myself to feel the full range of emotions that marriage can carry, and I am breathing in the…
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Growing into Myself
It was my first year in med school, a place where I was navigating community and finding friendships as an adult. I was fresh off a year serving overseas, a time of tight community, centered on walking with Jesus. Like being thrown into frigid waters, entering a new, intense season of schooling was jarring. I attended the Christian…
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Beauty Beyond the Lines
I was crawling into bed late one night when my phone lit up. I knew better than to stick my face in front of the blue light as I was preparing to fall asleep but, as usual, my curiosity got the best of me. To my surprise, it was a message from. . .my car.…
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Come On In
“When you get here, just come on in. The front door is unlocked,” the text message reads. I park in the circular driveway behind the last in a row of cars. Pausing, I take a deep breath before emerging into the cool fall air. As I climb the few stairs leading to the front porch,…
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Voices of Purpose
The wind swirls as its taunts hit the weathered wood. The hail throttles the walls that hold her in and is a thunder in her heart.
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Inside of His Arms
I sit on my front porch alone. Although I was invited to the graduation party, I simply cannot go. My heart simultaneously longs for connection and dreads the pain of showing up in community. Our family has been navigating acute crisis for more than a year. I am battered and bloody and desperate for care.…
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