Sweet Tea Thoughts: Faith in the Valley

Some weeks, a story settles into your heart and doesn’t leave.

Not because you know all the details — but because you recognize the ache.

I’ve watched the Today Show for years. It’s part of my mornings in a quiet, familiar way.

Al Roker saying, “Here’s what’s happening in your neck of the woods,” still makes my Texas heart smile.

And like a lot of author friends, I’ve imagined what I might say if Jenna Bush Hager ever asked me about my books.

But this week, none of that mattered.

My heart has been with Savannah Guthrie and her family.

She’s someone who has spoken about her faith openly. Not as a part of her TV performance, but as part of her life. Watching someone familiar walk through a valley is a reminder that faith isn’t proven by explanations. It’s proven by presence.

Faith doesn’t always come with words.

Sometimes it comes with staying.

With prayer when language runs out.

With trust that holds, even when the path ahead is unclear.

I don’t have the right sentences for moments like these.

So I stand in them.

For her.

For her family.

For anyone walking through a valley right now.

God is still near — even here.