HI! I’m Lesley.

I’m a writer, storyteller, reader, runner, skier, baker and beach girl. I’ve been married to my best friend for almost 20 years, and together we’re raising our three kids in a little coastal town just north of Los Angeles.

For the last few years our family has hunkered closer to home where I’ve been learning to be satisfied with a simpler, quieter life. As brand new parents, my husband went through treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Several years later, our middle son was diagnosed with bilateral Wilms Tumor (pediatric kidney cancer). I’m so grateful to say that both of my boys are in full remission. Through these suffering experiences I experienced God in new and profound ways, and He led me to seminary. I now hold a Masters degree in Spiritual Formation and Leadership from Friends University. Before that, I co-created and hosted the first two podcast seasons for Coffee + Crumbs and have a handful of motherhood essays published there. You’ll also find my essays and devotionals in The Magic of Motherhood and the NIV Bible for Women. A full list of my published work is here.

I started blogging in 2006 while we were living in Sacramento as newlyweds. Many of those original posts are long gone, but I still love writing about faith, spiritual formation, friendship, motherhood, marriage, politics and cancer. If you like my work, please consider subscribing to The Tide Chart on Substack.

For those of you visiting for the first time, thank you! I’m really happy you’re here. It is my deepest hope that you won’t look to me for the answers but know I’m a safe person for your questions. It is the deep and abiding love of God that got me through some of life’s most painful days. That being said, if I can be a listening and loving ear for you in your own suffering or faith journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out.