Photo Credit: Melissa Swonger; Colony, OK, 2026 There was significant impact and sacred work at the Healing in Truth retreat I co-facilitated last weekend. Of course, there is the work of planning, creating the environment, and building in components that make change possible. However, we held the plans loosely enough to be flexible when an impromptu climbing of the hill to the cross arose. The hill was steep but not all that high. Maybe four stories tall. There was excitemen

Photo Credit: Melissa Swonger; Grand Tetons, Wyoming, August 2024 It can be unbelievably cold in the mountains of Wyoming before sunrise. Darin and I have stood in the dark with hot coffee in our hands, surrounded by a small army of photographers waiting for the first light to hit the Grand Tetons. There are a million stars overhead, but everyone is waiting for the same thing: that brief window when the rising sun catches the mountains and changes the entire landscape. On thi

Photo Credit: Melissa Swonger; Featured: Maverick, 2026 “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should” has been a pretty common phrase I’ve used in my adult life. It encompasses a wide array of things, from not buying the more expensive option just because you have the money to lifestyle choices like staying up too late on devices, or even what food choices are made, and it facilitates conversations with teen children about where they’re going. Lately, I’ve realized how apt t

Photo Credit: Melissa Swonger; September, 2026 Why do I keep photographing sunrises? I have photographed hundreds. The bank of windows in my bedroom faces east. It feels like a good morning hug from God when my eyes open to the brilliant colors breaking over the dark silhouettes of the trees. I have chased sunrises, waking my husband and daughters (the ones who are willing ;) to chase them over ocean horizons and mountain peaks where we watched the moon salute the sun as its

Photo Credit: Melissa Swonger; Mile High Swinging Bridge, Grandfather Mountain, Linville, NC, 2018 I like to be prepared. Well, most of the time. Arguably, I have learned to be flexible and adopted a go-with-the-flow attitude for much of my life. Those who know me well may argue that is an understatement. But at my core, I’m a strategist. I research. I plan. I make lists. I ask questions. I consider contingencies and can quickly and decisively pivot as needed. There is wisdom

Photo Credit: Melissa Swonger; Grandfather Mountain, Linville, NC, 2018 Life is full of surprises. Perhaps one of my biggest, and arguably one of the best (though it took a few days to believe it), was finding out I was pregnant with our youngest daughter. I had a seven-year-old, a three-year-old, and an infant when we learned she was coming. We'd dropped the maternity rider on our insurance and given away the newborn gear. We were done. But here she came. We had to pivot and

Photo Credit: Melissa Swonger, Royal Gorge Bridge, Cañon City, CO, 2019 I'm realizing how much tension is a hallmark of my current season, and I think, if scrolling is any indication, much of the world may feel the same. We seem to be living with an unusual amount of uncertainty about our work, our institutions, technology, politics, finances, and what comes next. Tension is such a part of our lives that we use it to describe all kinds of experiences. Tension in relationships

Photo Credit: Melissa Swonger, Royal Gorge Bridge, Cañon City, CO 2019 Most bridges connect two points functionally, often spanning an expanse or chasm and connecting people who might otherwise have to take the long way around or remain isolated. The Royal Gorge Bridge is a little different. Built in 1929 primarily as a tourist attraction, the crossing itself is part of the destination. I can vouch that the views from this pedestrian bridge are worth the excursion. Darin, the

Photo Credit: Darin Swonger; Pictured: Melissa Swonger; Jackson Hole, WY, 2024 "I need everyone's undivided attention." I can still hear elementary school teachers saying those words. Whenever a new concept was about to be introduced or something especially important was about to be said, they would pause the room, wait until the whispering stopped, and ask for our undivided attention. Even then, they understood something we are still learning today: Attention determines what

Photo Credit: Melissa Swonger; John F. Kennedy Space Center, 2017 I am living in the middle of the now and not yet. Some projects have been completed, some dreams realized, and some chapters finished. Others remain in building mode, caught somewhere between an idea and an outcome I can see. In seasons like this, I can become preoccupied with all the not-yets. I look toward the next deadline, decision, opportunity, or milestone and begin measuring my life by what has launched

Photo Credit: Melissa Swonger; Mt. Katahdin, Maine; July 20, 2023 For most of human history, knowledge was scarce. If you wanted wisdom, you sought out a teacher. If you wanted an answer, you searched for someone who had spent years earning it. Information was valuable because it was difficult to access. Today, answers are everywhere. Within seconds, we can ask a search engine or AI almost anything and receive a response that would have taken hours, days, or even years to unc

Photo Credit: Darin Swonger; Featured: Melissa Swonger; Wyoming; 2024 I’ve added a new photograph to my favorites, and it wasn't taken by me. In fact, I didn't even know it existed until this week. Two years ago, we were exploring an off-the-beaten-path gravel road in Yellowstone. Like everyone else, we stopped at the iconic landmarks. But we also wandered down less-traveled roads, looking for what most people drove past. And sometimes you end up photographing a patch of wil