Kelly O'Melia

Reflections in Italy

I think it’s easy to go through life making assumptions about people and presuming things have always been the way they seem. We often don’t know everyone’s backstory, especially when we meet them in our later years. We don’t comprehend the amazing ways God has worked in their lives and what would have been, without…
Your Instrument

We arrived at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference this past Sunday. Y’all know how much I despise breathtaking views, fresh mountain air, books, and writing. I was obviously “taking one for the team” when I offered to accompany my daughter to this conference. Purely unselfish motives, folks. To help Maddie discover how best to…
Draw Near to God

I grew up celebrating the birth of Jesus. The stockings were hung, the tree was trimmed, packages were lovingly wrapped, and tantalizing foods were prepared. Wreaths adorned the doors and lights illuminated each window of the house. We counted down the weeks of advent at dinner each night by lighting candles of purple and pink.…
Makinley’s 6th Birthday! Finally!

We were laid up in Maryland with the tummy bug on Makinley’s real birthday, so we celebrated almost one month later with a Frozen tea party. And then there were further delays in my putting this blog post together. I won’t get into the nitty gritty. But now, here I am, posting this 10 months…
48 hours

Picture a 12-passenger van filled to overflowing. Every nook, cranny, and crevice utilized. Stuffed animals, pillows, parkas, and parcels disappear into spaces we’ve created out of nothing. We even have an impressively large Nesco cooker stuffed between the front two seats, the inside accommodating snow pants. Where are we headed? Onward to Massachusetts, for the…
Christmas 2014

We wrapped up a long week of driver’s education, wrestling, schoolwork, laundry, and last-minute gift buying. We headed for New England while the rest of the Eastern Seaboard slept. It’s not that it’s easy for us to travel for the holidays… but when reality stares you down, and you understand that none of us are…
Saying Goodbye to Pop

I wrote this tribute to my dad last June, on Father’s Day. I wanted him to know what he meant to me, to us, before it was too late. My dad thanked me profusely after reading this, for all of the kind words, but didn’t feel he really deserved them all, he said. …
Why DO I Homeschool?

When I was first introduced to the idea of homeschooling, I truly thought it was the most ridiculous concept in the world. It was so countercultural that I found myself struggling to wrap my head around it. It was laughable, really. Because how could I, a single individual, be an expert in all things and…
Cheesecake Fixes Everything

When this whole trial began, I immediately felt as though I was under some kind of spiritual attack. An attack intended to elicit fear and sabotage my trust in Him. I know this sounds super hocus-pocusy, but stick with me. I had recently been reading the words of Jesus as though for the first time.…
Hilton Head 2014

Y’all, we had been looking forward to our beach vacation for forever. We were headed to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. A place that feels warm and tropical. A place filled with fond family memories. We chose a house that had plenty of room for us all!
My Brother’s Wedding

Oh it was going to be a doozy. I knew this heading into our travels. We were planning to hit Boston and Connecticut in a whirlwind trip totaling 6 days. We would pick Maddie up from CYT (Christian Youth Theatre) about 10:00 PM, van fully loaded, and head north on the interstate. I expected to be…
Update on the Joyners

It was difficult to celebrate Father’s Day over the weekend without thinking about the Joyner family. I first introduced you to them here. James and Tracy Joyner have nine children. They live in Selma, NC in a modest older home in need of many repairs. James was diagnosed over a year ago with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma…
My Dad

You watched countless soccer games. You organized backyard baseball. You attended recitals. You let me pretend to shave with you in the wee hours of morning. You took me ice skating. You let me pick out my favorite ice cream flavor at the Friendly’s take-out window. You took me to father-daughter square dances. You…
Rising to the Call

People often tell me… You’re an amazing mom. I don’t know how you do it. You must have the patience of a saint. Bless your heart. And if you know anything about that last one (a notoriously southern phrase) it can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. 😉
Hands and Feet

Have you ever noticed that emotional arousal creates incredibly vivid memories? When your body’s stress hormone is released, memory making is kicked up a serious notch. That’s why when something really amazing, terrifying, or shocking happens, you often remember what you were wearing, where you were standing, the music that was playing, and the smells…