Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Peace in the Process
    • Bringing Home More Than Groceries
    • Created for Communion
  • Contact

My story

July 14, 2011 by Kristin Leave a Comment

{Click on image to enlarge it.}

By the time I graduated high school in 1997, I knew I wanted to write. And I set out to make a living doing this thing I loved. My dear friend Katie, who has known me since I was 11 years old, included the above newspaper clipping in a card she sent me. Much has changed since 1997, but I still love to use words to create stories.

The dream that started in the high school “The Clarion Colonel” newsroom came with me to Murray, Ky., where I spend four years earning a print journalism degree, apparently qualifying me for the next step into the real world. I interned in Lexington, Ky. I worked a year-long temporary job in Louisville, Ky. Then I spent a year as an education reporter in Richmond, Ky.

And then I moved back to Murray. I spent four years writing about the city council, the university administration, police business, court cases, the public-owned hospital, and whatever other small-town news came by way. I had thought I’d work at a big-city newspaper.

But I fell in love along the way.

Initially, I fell in love with my college boyfriend who is now my husband. Then I fell in love with small-town journalism after telling myself time and time again it wasn’t for me. It’s challenging and rewarding to cover the community in which you live, go to church, intend to raise your family, and have deep roots in which you married into.

But then I fell in love with my daughter. So I thought I’d do both. Go to work. Come home and be momma. But something had to give, and it wasn’t going to be Cate. So it was my career as a small-town journalist.

It’s been 3 years and 10 months exactly since I traded my career for an even greater purpose. And I haven’t regretted it once, even though this stay-at-home mom role came with no real training. Yes, I still read the local newspaper and even sometimes converse with other reporters who’ve come through the same newsroom. We have a bond that not everyone understands.

I’m grateful for the storytelling training I’ve had along the way, in high school, in college, formally, through other professionals, and in somewhat nerdy conversations with friends.

And I’m thankful for the stories I have to tell these days. Robert’s Rules of Order rarely enter my mind, although some moments are more chaotic than I expect. There aren’t any agendas to follow, even though sometimes I crave a plan for everybody to follow. Nobody requires I file an open records request, yet my 19-month-old can’t always give me the information I’m trying to get. I certainly need God’s grace because being a momma has since become the most challenging thing I’ve done, or, rather, am doing and will be doing.

Really, I should remember what I told my peers 14 years ago: “My canvas will never be blank as long as I continue to act on my senses; I am an artist, with words as my form of expression. … I realized I am an artist with a satisfying power to share — who knows where taking chances can lead you.”

My life is nothing like I planned. But I wouldn’t change where I am or how I got here.

________

Want more? Subscribe to get “Insights” in your inbox. Or follow me on Twitter.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: friends, writing

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

Subscribe for Updates

Recent Posts

  • Happy birthday, Ben!
  • Favorite Christmas Gift Ideas
  • How to teach kids to take care of home
  • Shadows at Dusk
  • Fighting For the Soul of Your Child

Join the Conversation

Join the Conversation

On Instagram

We had the best time cheering for our varsity girl We had the best time cheering for our varsity girls at the KCAA Holiday Classic in Independence, KY, on Friday and Saturday. And our girls brought home the first place trophy after an exciting, intense 53-51 overtime win against Oak Ridge Christian Academy last night. 

Cate was named to the all-tournament team and had her most-ever 19 points (and two chipped teeth!) in the championship game. I’m so proud of her and her friends. And to think she hadn’t played organized basketball until four years ago. In fact, @ncca.lions girls played in its first game four years ago yesterday. Look how far they’ve come!

Here’s to such a fun 4-0 start to the Lions fifth season of girls basketball. Go Cate! And go Lions! 💛

#basketballseason #highschool #momlife #weekending #documentlife #thisis16
DAY 4: SOMETHING THAT WENT REALLY WELL for @anchor DAY 4: SOMETHING THAT WENT REALLY WELL for @anchoredwomen's Reflect & Refresh Challenge

Spring Break 2023 was the first time we vacationed with friends. We all boarded Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas for a week of sunshine and fun. It was such a great time – so much so we hope to do another cruise with the same friends sooner rather than later.

#reflectandrefresh2023 #newyear #reflections #bettertogether #favoritethings
DAY 3: ONE BOOK THAT IMPACTED YOUR YEAR for @ancho DAY 3: ONE BOOK THAT IMPACTED YOUR YEAR for @anchoredwomen's Reflect and Refresh Challenge

“The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Restless Age” by @mrdanielgrothe . I posted about this book before, but I read it on a whim after hearing someone reference its theme on a podcast. And I loved it so much. It echoed so much of what God has been teaching me in my small-town life. The tenth chapter — Stability in Friendship — is basically a summary of my book, “Created for Communion.”

I don’t read a ton of non-fiction, but when I do the messages tend to matter in my life, and this book is no exception. “The Power of Place” is one that will encourage me for many days to come. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #bookshelf #bookstack #books #bookreview #bookstagrammer #booklover #bookblogger #socialmediachallenge #CreatedForCommunion #holyfriendships #bettertogether
DAY 2: BEST NEW DISCOVERY as part of @anchoredwome DAY 2: BEST NEW DISCOVERY as part of @anchoredwomen's Reflect & Refresh Challenge

I love to haul around a sort of big bag (aka purse) so I can have all the things with me in the car, but I don’t want to haul that bag into stores or short errands. I had a Lululemon crossbody bag that was about the size of a fanny bag that I really loved, but it was pale pink and always looked dirty. This year I discovered an off-brand crossbody bag on Amazon that is even better than the Lululemon AND IT’S $20. And it’s so easy to just throw in my big bad when I don’t have it slung over my shoulder.

https://amzn.to/3sSWwHa

You’re welcome!

🎁 If you're looking for other gift ideas, I put together a list of some of my favorite things, including this handy bag! bit.ly/KHTgiftideas

#reflectandrefresh #socialmediachallenge #favoritethings #reflectandrefresh2023 #giftideas #bestbag #linkinbio
DAY 1: ONE THING YOU’RE GRATEFUL FOR Is it chea DAY 1: ONE THING YOU’RE GRATEFUL FOR

Is it cheating if I say I’m grateful for my own book?! I don’t say that in a conceited way, but I say it because the book – the actual pages and the process – really sums up what I’m grateful for this year. 

The longer answer is this: My community of people is among the greatest blessings in my life, and I’ve seen that so clearly this year. 

I had the idea to write a book about biblical friendship. I had no idea I’d love the process of studying friends in the Bible as much as I did. God was so good to keep leading me to different stories and truth. Sermons echoed what I was learning. My real-life friendships were enhanced and I became keenly aware of the importance of friendship – both with God and others – in my own life. 

My dear friends & pastor Katie & Kory Cunningham wrote the foreword, Mandy Roberson and her fantastic team at @marketrefinedmedia helped bring my book to a beautiful reality, and so many friends shared their stories in the pages. The whole researching, writing, and publishing experience was wonderful. 

Since I published “Created for Communion” in September, I’ve been in the trenches of a dear friendship in my life shifting in ways that are both part of life and hard to accept. My teenagers have walked through their own friendship tensions. And our family has been in a hard season this fall that I haven’t been able to share publicly yet those in our everyday life know details and have walked alongside us so beautifully. 

In a year of changes and shifts, I’m grateful not to be alone and see the goodness of God. 

I’m joining Kayse Pratt from @anchoredwomen for this annual Reflect & Refresh Challenge. Yes, I’m a day late, and that about sums up my life these days.

#reflectandrefresh2023 #reflectandrefresh #newyear #socialmediachallenge #reallife #bettertogether #authorlife #CreatedForCommunion #friendship #holyfriendship #author #book #bookstagram #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #linkinbio
A few weeks ago, I learned I’m allergic to trees A few weeks ago, I learned I’m allergic to trees, grasses, weeds, dust mites, mold, cats, and dogs. No wonder I always feel like I have unnecessary fluid sitting in my ears! So today I started allergy shots. Here’s to hoping it helps! 

#allergies #allergyshots #countryliving #reallife #thisis44
‘Tis the season for @sophie_cousens, apparently. ‘Tis the season for @sophie_cousens, apparently. Scroll to see how @timehop reminded me today. 

I finished her newest book, “The Good Part,” last night. I read it in a couple of days — so that tells you how I felt about it. 

I don’t usually like stories that have time travel or leaps, but this book worked well with its “13 Going on 30” vibes. 

Perhaps it’s my age (44), but I remember being a teenager and young adult just wanting to get to the good part of life. Of course, since then I’ve walked through trials and griefs of many kinds. Would I want to skip them? Of course! But I also know those struggles and challenges have shaped me. 

Anyway, back to the book. I loved the characters & their relationships with one another, especially the friendships that spanned all the parts of life. 

Obviously, I recommend all of @sophie_cousens’ books.

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #kindlebooks #bookreviews #books #weekending #favoritethings #timehop
Thanksgiving Break was good for my soul. I liked b Thanksgiving Break was good for my soul. I liked being away for a few days and then still having a weekend at home. 

“Counting My Blessings” by @seph_schlueter has been an anchor for me and on repeat around here lately: 

🎶 … One, two, three / Up to infinity / I'd run out of numbers / Before I could thank You for everything / God, I'm still counting my blessings / All that You've done in my life / The more that I look in the details / The more of Your goodness I find / Father on this side of Heaven / I know that I'll run out of time / But I will keep counting my blessings / Knowing I can't count that high … 🎶

I want to count some blessings before regular life resumes tomorrow:

📚 I enjoyed selling some of my books at @hopethatbinds’ bazaar with Cate by my side. We’re already brainstorming ways to make our table even better next year. 
🔥 We were invited for soup and s’mores by friends who rented a lake house for Thanksgiving. Sharing about real life stuff with familiar friends was so good for me. 
💛 Our pastors at @hardinbaptistchurch started a new series through Ruth and the first sermon was so good. 
🎉 We celebrated my boy turning 14 all week, including with a birthday lunch today at Gran-Gran’s house?

What blessings are you counting? 

#thanksgiving #givingthanks #choosingJOY #documentlife #reallife #weekending #authorlife #momlife #boymom #livingfaithfully
What’s a holiday weekend without some reading? I What’s a holiday weekend without some reading? I finished a couple of books recently and want to tell you about the. 

📚 “For the Love of Friends” by Sara Goodman Confino. I told y’all I was diving into another book by this author after I read “Don’t Forget to Write.” This one has a “27 Dresses” vibe in a good way — along with some anonymous blogging that is funny and risky. There are lots of funny, real, and sweet scenes. 

📚 “In the Likely Event” by Rebecca Yarros. I saw this one included in my Kindle Unlimited membership and downloaded it because it sounded good. It was good. I liked the then-and-now alternating plot lines and appreciated the military & political settings. I could have done with more of a closed door romance, but I really enjoyed the story. And I downloaded another by this same author to read soon. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #kindlebooks #KindleOasis #fiction #books #bookreviews #weekending
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Favorites

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 Kristin Hill Taylor | Site by MRM