Our Safe Place
We live in a world of keys, locks, alarms, and security systems. We protect the things that are most valuable to us. I asked Karen if she wanted Mom to have her wedding ring on for the viewing last Thursday, and then we could remove it once the casket would be tightly closed. She told…
Shakey World But Unshakeable Faith
After catching the headlines about the leak of the Supreme Court’s Roe vs Wade draft, I realize, more than ever, that we live in a mighty crazy, shaky world. If we only lived through the eyes of the news, you’d think the world is going to hell in a handbasket. Even in our own little…
Christmas Coping, Moping or Hoping
Okay! Your beautiful Thanksgiving family photos on social media drew me in. Incredible displays of tables set with perfection. Those photos represent family love and traditions. Seeing them makes me want to gather all the photos I took and add them to my blog today, but I won’t. Obviously, I’m still in thanks-giving and gratitude-living…
What if We Flipped the Worry Script?
My friends and I were discussing the upcoming Christmas season and how it may be advisable to do some early Christmas shopping. We know from personal experience what empty shelves of toilet paper and paper towels were like when the pandemic began in 2020! So, do we take that run-for-your-life, hustle and bustle mindset on…
Just Thinkin’ About Tomorrow
It is 5:15 am and I am pedaling with a vengeance on the stationary bike in our fitness center. In front of the bike is a large window that I see the reflection of the large TV screen behind me. The weather is on. My eyes deceive me. I see the temperatures as 59, 69,…
Just Tidying Up Things Around Here
I learned from the best of them – my mother-in-law – about organizing and keeping things in their proper order. Perfectionism is one of her claims to fame which she passed on to her son, my husband and to our son who is “Mr. Organized” to the nth degree and thrives on everything being in…
Look at the Birds of the Air
Typically, I have my next blog in mind the day before I write it and post it. But, yesterday, I had a blank slate and a blank in my head. After a while of looking at notes I had written, still nothing clicked. I prayed for inspiration and rather than ponder, I sat off to…
Calgon, Take Me Away
Remember that vintage commercial “Calgon, take me away?” The commercial shows an irritated woman with a newsreel playing in her head of her plight: the traffic piling up, the boss yelling, the baby crying, and the dog barking. She exclaims: “That does it! Calgon, take me away!” The next scene is of her in a…
Clenched Fists or Open Hands?
Are your fists clenched so tightly that if you let them go, you know you’ll blow? After all these uncharted waters of the pandemic – that steam might erupt like Old Faithful, as you shout “I’M DONE!” Maybe, you’re white-knuckling it because you’re fearful of what is up ahead. I know both examples. I was…
Comfort and Peace in the Storm
I’m continuing my blog series about these two furry grand-dogs that I’m keeping while my children are away. It’s Sunday morning and I get a wake-up call, rather a wake-up barking at 4:30 am from Emma, the Yorkie. I’m not a happy camper. Who wants to be awakened by a barking alarm? My sleep is…