Welcome, December!
Aw! The month of Advent and Christmas, and for my Jewish friends, the beautiful, upcoming days of Hanukkah — The Festival of Lights. You may be one not-so-invested in the holidays when it seems everyone else is getting their holly-jolly-selves on! They’re cheerful, happy, all caught up in their blessing moods while you are in…
Bah Humbug!
That expression is well-known as the catchphrase of miserly old Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character in Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel, “A Christmas Carol.” Scrooge, who thinks Christmas is an enormous deception, retorts, “Bah! Humbug!” to anyone who dares to wish him a merry Christmas! It’s December 1st when we get into the pondering and reflecting…
Thanksgiving Heart Preparation 101
Two days until Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving in advance! I sensed an urgency to prepare my friends for the BIG day! First of all let me say how thankful I am for you! I can’t overstate how much my social media family means to me. I am ever grateful that you read my blogs and hopefully…
We Need Community
John Donne, an 18th century poet, wrote: “No Man is an Island”. That poem and the phrase “no man is an island” means that no one is truly self-sufficient, everyone must rely on the company and comfort of others to thrive. I’m not one who ever professes to be lonely. As if to pound my…
Hey, It’s Good to be Back Home Again!
It’s almost two weeks in Austin’s super-hyper-mode. I woke up this morning thinking “Yikes – my yard hasn’t been watered in two weeks! I didn’t pack enough vitamins! A stack of mail and lots of projects await me at home!” But, oh, the joy in Austin that peaked over the weekend when my family was…
Who is YOUR Someone?
Who is YOUR Someone?President Ronald Reagan coined the phrase: “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” That quote speaks volumes to me when I think about the “someones” that might have passed my way, literally….passed, without me giving them a second thought. I might have been so caught up in my own little…
Being One-Another Minded
I wasn’t in the “in-crowd” growing up. You know — the crowd where everyone knew each other — gathered together in their little groups, ate together, in clubs together, hung out together at recess. I was a shy child. I know that’s hard to believe. Instead of going to the outgoing kids, my mom coaxed…
God Fills the Shoes of the Best Friend Ever
A week ago, I blogged about how important friends are to our well-being. Then, after being in a room of people that I didn’t know and feeling rather lonely amidst those who knew each other and were carrying on conversation and laughing, I gave that blog a second thought. Now I realize there may be…
Life is About Relationships
I continue to learn that the things that matter most in this life are relationships – not accomplishments. One of my young friends called and asked if we could meet for brunch to talk about a project that may turn into a new ministry outreach for our church. She wanted my advice. I loved that…
Alone, Lonely or Solitude
My word(s) for today are ALONE, LONELY, SOLITUDE. ALONE: having no one else present; on one’s own. LONELY: sad because one has no friends or company; friendless, forsaken, inner emptiness SOLITUDE: withdrawal for privacy and peace A few days ago I was in Austin with grandchildren, then I was back home in Frisco with my…