A Trusted Friend… [in a time of need and grief]

by rachelrains // April 7, 2021 // No Comments

One year ago, I made a new friend. But not the kind you’d expect, I met my new Target store. I sat in this Target shopping center while my mama braved a calcium drip at twice the speed. (Although, I... Continue reading →

How to Walk in LOVE in Hurt or Trauma… [learning to love those who’ve hurt us.]

by rachelrains // March 30, 2021 // No Comments

Acknowledge the Reality of Hurt. The reality is we live in a fallen, imperfect world full of messy, broken people and it’s only a matter of time before we are hurt by someone or we inflict pain on another. We... Continue reading →

WHY am I here… [finding meaning in the journey]

by rachelrains // March 8, 2021 // No Comments

ONE YEAR AGO—we landed in Hometown, OK, began what was to be a short, but hard-fought cancer journey for my mama, escaped the first cases of Corona in Nashville, lost a dear, sweet friend the night before our departure, and... Continue reading →

[@ameaningfuljourney’s] Christmas Go-To Playlist Countdown | 2020

by rachelrains // December 10, 2020 // No Comments

In an ’And the Award Goes to…’ format, I have compiled a Christmas Go-To Playlist to satisfy even the most savvy and discerning Christmas music lover's delight. A perfect blend of old and new. Secular and Holy. I guarantee you’ll discover a new favorite or two. Happy listening. Continue reading →

Changing Life Seasons… {Travel On}

by rachelrains // October 16, 2020 // No Comments

I rediscovered Yellowstone National Park pics from fifty years just a couple days before we left for own family trip two weeks ago. I was only a year old on that trip. My parents had just bought a camper and... Continue reading →

If We Make It Through December…

by rachelrains // January 2, 2020 // No Comments

The second half of 2019 brought a flurry of rollercoaster twists and turns for our family… and in God’s amazing grace, all for the good! God works like this ya’ know… not on our schedule… and not at all as... Continue reading →

Learning Trust, Finding Gratitude… and Counting it all Joy!

by rachelrains // November 26, 2019 // No Comments

With a heart exceedingly full of GRATITUDE is how I’m planning to celebrate this season of Thanksgiving… I’m grateful for answered prayers! Some of which were decades in the making… And as someone currently walking out of a desert season... Continue reading →

How to Love Others… {Mr. Roger’s Style}

by rachelrains // November 21, 2019 // 17 Comments

This past summer as I was leaving church one Sunday morning, out of nowhere, I had the thought “I wonder if Mr. Rogers knew what he was doing when he wrote the song “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” My suspicion... Continue reading →

Promise for the Journey…

by rachelrains // August 29, 2019 // No Comments

At the age of eighteen, God gave me a promise. A dream – if you will. A dream for my life’s purpose and a promise for my future. Thirty-two years have come and gone and, finally, the ‘big reveal’ has... Continue reading →

Evil, Self-Serve, and a Holy Juxtaposition… {Does God Really Exist}

by rachelrains // July 1, 2019 // 2 Comments

Through the ages, so much thought and emphasis has been placed on answering the question “Does God really exist?” And “Is Heaven real?” But seldom have we asked “Where does evil come from?” Most of the time, we barely acknowledge... Continue reading →