Sometimes you will think you can't take it another day. But if you hang in there, one step at a time, you will be able to accomplish more than you ever imagine.
A couple of times, I felt like I was cracking and I couldn't go on, and God would put another person in my place to help me.
Every single person suffers; every marriage has some major battles. Life pulls you in different directions. But if you try, and you're lucky, you can find your way back to each other.
That was essential to my journey: the ability to love children while simultaneously having your heart broken.
Our main goal is to honor God and to honor this country by honoring and serving those families who serve.
We can't legislate human nature.
I'll proudly stand with one of the great leaders this state and country have ever produced: Rick Perry.
For quite a while, it didn't feel right. How could I feel joy when I lost the love of my life? I'm learning that those two things can co-exist. It will never be the same joy, but it doesn't mean there won't be joy.
I'm extremely grateful to all the first responders, veterans and their families for all their sacrifices.
What I've noticed is not only in the military, but in the first responders community, that when you reach out your hand to help one of them, they almost always grab your hand with only one of theirs, because they're using their other hand to reach behind them and pull up somebody else with them.
There's no road map. There's no textbook on how grief works and when your heart will be open - or if it ever will.
I have been touched by extreme violence, and I have been robbed of the life I always wanted by someone who chose to do evil.
With a warm drink, in a rocking chair and family and friends around, I am working on finding peace and joy in the moments we have been given. It doesn't have to all make sense. I don't have all the answers.
Something that I've struggled with for awhile is looking at our country voting on sound bites, and to me, character is really important.
I think that God prepared me for Chris's death in some ways, because I've seen other people lose their spouses. I've known for a long time that life isn't fair.
The blessing is that my kids have a lot of strong men and strong marriages around them, so I feel like they are getting what they need as far as role modeling. So I don't feel the pressure for them.
The only way to defeat evil is by taking advantage of our freedoms.
