As a mother of 2, my biggest priority was ensuring my kids *wanted* to go to church. Who your kids are friends with are who they become. It’s also important they’re around adults who model healthy, godly behavior and other kids who are seeking Jesus. I wanted to them to want to go to church, to want to serve and be involved and enjoy fellowship. Thankfully, this has been the case and it’s been the biggest blessing to us.

Yeah, helping blind people see is lame

“Oops, murdered someone. You can understand how that could happen. Was an innocent mistake.”

To the Commission, As a Gold Star spouse, I am grateful that our nation is finally building a memorial to honor those who served and sacrificed during the Global War on Terrorism. This generation answered the call after September 11th and carried the burden of nearly two decades of war. Their service deserves to be remembered. That said, I have serious concerns about the proposed design. When I look at the concept images, I see an abstract landscape. I see architecture, symbolism, and reflection spaces. What I do not see are the men and women who fought these wars or the names of those who never came home. My husband, SSG Alan Shaw, was killed in Iraq in 2007. He was 31 years old. He had a name. He had a family. He had children who grew up without their father. Like thousands of others, his sacrifice was not abstract. Nothing about the current design makes me want to take my grandchildren there to learn about their grandfather and the sacrifices made by him and thousands of others. A national memorial should do more than inspire reflection. It should teach. It should tell a story. It should ensure that future generations understand who served, who sacrificed, and what was lost. The men and women we lost were not concepts. They were individuals with dreams, families, and futures that ended in service to this country. I believe names matter because names force us to confront the true cost of war. They transform statistics into people. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial remains one of the most powerful memorials in our nation because visitors are immediately confronted with the scale of the sacrifice through the names of the fallen. The names are not a design element. They are the memorial. I am not opposed to symbolism or artistic expression, but I believe the Global War on Terrorism Memorial should provide direct recognition of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. If someone visits this memorial fifty years from now, they should not have to guess who it was built to honor. The memorial itself should tell that story clearly and unapologetically. The combat fallen deserve more than an abstract representation of their sacrifice. They deserve to be remembered by name. Respectfully, Sharrell Shaw Gold Star Spouse

More Houston food ideas for World Cup visitors: The Grove in Discovery Green has amazing food, including a delicious meat and cheese board, and beautiful ambience. Other winners: Ruggles Black, Guard and Grace, Grace’s. Houston is a foodie paradise. Just so many options!

USA. A Mexican restaurant. We had not yet ordered anything, and the food was already arriving. Chips. Salsa. Unrequested. Free. I stopped the waiter. "We have not earned these." "They just come with the table, man." They come with the TABLE. In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner. This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat. I ate with the gravity the moment deserved. And then — I must report this calmly — the basket emptied, and a new one appeared. "Did we…?" "Refill," the waiter said. "It's bottomless." Bottomless. They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined. My friend warned me. "Don't fill up on chips, dude." Too late. I had accepted three baskets. Honor demanded each one be finished — an unfinished gift is an insult. By the time my actual food arrived, I was a ruined man. I was not hungry. I was not comfortable. I had been defeated by a courtesy. Generosity that arrives before the request cannot be repaid. It can only be survived. I know the rule now. I have made my peace with the basket. One basket. Two at the most. Who am I deceiving. There is no number of baskets I would refuse. The trust of a nation is in that salsa, and I intend to honor all of it.

1000000000000000%

All the people from across the world visiting for the World Cup and enjoying and loving America is so sweet. We really do live in the most remarkable country in the world.

If you’re in Houston for the World Cup, I recommend Killen’s BBQ for a great meal and you MUST get the croissant bread pudding for dessert 🤤

I love him. Just a reasonable, intelligent person who truly cares about the space program and getting the work done properly and at the highest degree of expertise. This is how all professional spaces should view their workforces.

I’m really sad America’s 250th has become so politicalized. It should’ve been a unifying celebration 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Frequent travelers: What is your favorite airline when you travel to Europe that is reasonably priced, reliable, amenities, etc.? We took Air Canada last year, and had a mostly good experience, but now I’m like 😬

How is a show an app? Like…is it just an app where you watch the show? That sounds dumb.

“Everyday wear” 🤔

It's a good news kinda day, y'all. First: My recent PET scan showed zilch. I'm officially cancer free (again) after progressing to stage 4. It's extremely weird how this all happened, and honestly it feels a bit like it's in the miracle realm. I'll write a more detailed post in the future, including receipts for anyone who's skeptical, but for now I'll just say thank you, Jesus. Second: My book appears to be available for pre-sale on Amazon. Those of you who like to hop on things immediately can pre-order, but I'm going to save the big marketing push for October (it comes out early November). I'm really excited for this one, y'all.

Kinda want to do a Hyrox with my husband. He did it a few years ago by himself. I will prob die during it, but still…

Pretty sure I have a travel addiction. Gonna have to start selling feet pics to fund it 🦶🏼📸 Or what’s the thing now? Earlobe pics? Elbow? Behind the knee?