Meet Richella

"R-i-c-h-e-l-l-a." If I had a dollar for every time I've spelled my name, I'd have a nice little retirement account all funded.

So first, my name. My mother's brother's name is Richard, and my mother wanted to name a child after her brother. My mom liked the name "Michelle," but I guess "Richelle" wasn't quite enough for her. So she added an "a" and came up with my name, pronounced rih-shell'-uh. Kind of like Michelle, only fancier.

Twenty-five years ago I was a young mom with three little red-headed boys, living in a small town and doing my best to make a home for my husband and kids.

Since then, among other things, I've moved five times; worked with my husband through a career shift and five job changes; raised and educated my children; buried my mother and my father-in-law; helped to plant a church; cared for both my husband and children through six major surgeries in five years; joined the Board of Trustees of Renovaré, where I now serve as Board Chair; written a small book on spiritual formation; and written a book for InterVarsity Press: Mythical Me: Finding Freedom from Constant Comparison. 

And boy, have I made a lot of mistakes along the way.

I'm not such a young mom any more, and my boys are grown now. But I'm still doing my best to make a home for my family—only now I do it with a little less perfectionism, a little more perspective, and a lot more assurance of the goodness of God. 

This blog is my place to share what I've learned and what I'm learning.

My husband took this picture of me. I like photos of myself wearing sunglasses. They're the ones where you can't tell that my eyes are closed.

I also like pictures of just the top half of my body.  They're the ones where you can't see my birthmark.  But I'm learning to deal with that, too.

As for my blog name, I got to pick that one out for myself. I've always been very verbal, and in recent years I've realized that many times in my life I've used words in ways that I'm now ashamed of. I've spoken with harshness, with judgment, with meanness. I wanted to change that, and I was inspired by a verse from the Bible: "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good. . . that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). I liked the idea of trying to impart grace with my words, so I took Imparting Grace as my title--and my goal.

Want to know a little more about me?  

Here's a peek at my home:

Click here to read all about it.

And here's a look at what's in my heart:

Click here to read more.

I'd be so honored for you to join me in my journey here!

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