Consider it Pure Joy Even if it Hurts
It’s the very first day of moving to Austin. My movers show up – not with the 26-foot truck I was promised, but a 17-foot truck. They tell me – “No problem. There will be plenty of room.” NOT! They forgot the wardrobe boxes which required a larger truck. As it turns out, they squash…
What is YOUR Motivation for Change?
The Great Escape — so, I’ve been in Austin with my family since last week. Talk about change – from my quiet, non-eventful life, to nearly non-stop activity with this crew. My quiet peace zone at home has certainly been interrupted, which is fine with me. My second to the oldest grandson, Bear, asked for…
Our All-Wise Know-It-All has a Purpose
I have loved watching you moms and dads and your children forge through your, what seems to be, perpetual at-home time together. I’ve passed by families going on walks together. I’ve seen FB photos of you having family meals together and, I’ve heard you saying: “I’m going to miss this!” I’ve seen you being home…
My Indicators Went Haywire
When something’s just not right with my car, an indicator starts flashing on my dashboard. The same thing is true for checking and mastering our moods. When we’re dealing with an emotion that is causing our bright light to dim, then we need to fix it — quickly! And, if we want to be the…
Faith Crisis? Don’t Stop Now. You’re Almost There.
I have many friends who are facing a faith crisis — some in their health, their finances, their relationships and/or simply fear for what the future holds. After all, if we watched and listened to the news long enough, and believed it – we could all take a tail spin. It’s not that we don’t…
Our Rich Family History
My friend posted this beautiful photo on her timeline a few days ago. She was in Pocahontas, Illinois. I commented: “I have family roots that go back to John Rolfe and Pocahontas. They were our 10th generation grandparents. Yay! I’m multi-racial! There’s a tiny percentage of Native American in me! And I thought I had…
Why Am I So Attractive?
Catchy title, right? Especially when one looks in the mirror and their hair is having a good day, the make-up blended just right and, that blue top certainly brings out the blue in your eyes. But, that’s not the “attractive” I’m talking about. Attractive to mosquitoes or chiggers. Not sure which one — neither is…
Things are Looking Up with Optimism and Hope
We are known as an optimistic family. We reinforced optimism in our children with “You are champions. You can do anything if you set your heart and mind to it. With God all things are possible.” We purposely speak “God is good — all the time” regardless of sunshine or rain, joy or sorrow, win…
Behind Locked Doors Because of Fear
I’m so happy the Easter Story doesn’t end with the resurrection. There’s so much more! The next verse in John 20:19 says this: “That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.” They locked the door, they shut themselves off, they locked away the world. Out…
Good-Bye Past, But Thanks for the Memories!
I randomly watched the televised Garth Brooks Concert at Notre Dame last week. Impressive, massive crowd to hear him as he was literally “singing in the rain”. When he sang, “I Thank God for Unanswered Prayers”, I’ll admit I had to sit down and watch him AND the camera’s crowd highlights of couples looking into…