Stories of Faith, Hope, and Love
I don’t know about your neighborhood or household, but around here, back-to-school fall activities are ramping up. (Then again, I’m married to a teacher and football coach so it’s more obvious than if he were in another profession.) It’s that time of year when summer melts into fall and vacation mode transitions back to regular routines. Unless you’re a dear friend of mine. She’s been in full-planning and anticipation mode for taking her entire family (husband, four
I have to say this summer is the hottest in recent memory (or else I’m just getting older and can’t stand the heat as well as before!) But read on for a little hope in a heatwave… A few weeks ago, we made our annual trek to Branson for the family vacation. And as usual seemed to have timed it to land in the middle of a heatwave. Now, I know that July in the
Thanks to everyone who reached out after my last post, because gaining a new daughter-in-law is definitely worth celebrating. And I love, love, love having a two-way conversation with you! Well, I might have left you all hanging with the teaser that there was more to the story. And here it is. (If you missed it, my youngest (nickname Carpenter) took a risk over a year ago to move out of state, started a new job,
Today I interrupt whatever I had originally planned to say, to make an announcement. Well, actually to share a story that is an answer to countless prayers and one I hope will encourage you to keep on believing God to open doors and put you in the right place at the right time. Spoiler alert: this story involves my youngest who I’ll call Carpenter. Carpenter used to live with us and install custom cabinets in
Recently I asked a question on social media about what the best thing about summer is. And I was (and wasn’t) surprised by the answers I got back. Several mentioned sleeping in and then spending time with the kids. Several more put sitting on the porch at the top of their lists. Lazy days. Flowers. Fishing. Reading in a hammock in the shade. It all reminded me of my childhood and summer vacations where I basically got
Hello from a slightly-less-stressed author! The good news is that the chaos has settled to within acceptable normal limits and my brain cells are talking to each other once again. Phew! But I have to say that in the middle the worst of it, I was reminded of a powerful lesson for life that I’m going to share simply to help spare you some of the agony and frustration. It all started with a traffic light.
Hello from Stress Central, (Spoiler alert: It’s all good stuff. Just a lot and all at once. And I found the cure for stress too.) Back when my kids were all in school, May was the best and the worst month ever. Spring weather and blooming flowers and greening up? Yeah! Looking forward to summer’s slower pace? Absolutely! Enduring the gauntlet of concerts, field trips, field days, awards ceremonies, continuations/graduations, and everything else the teachers
Happy May and welcome to Spring! It’s my favorite season of the year because of all the green (my favorite color) and the sense of a fresh beginning as things come alive. But I didn’t spend “winter” twiddling my thumbs waiting. As a writer, I’m always growing and learning, especially about marketing. And in the past couple of months I’ve attended quite a number of conferences and writer chats both online and in person. One
The last few weeks have been a hodgepodge of moments all adding up to one conclusion. First, the spring equinox (although here in Colorado we can still get snow for a couple more months). A new coat of paint on the house so everything looks fresh. Wrapping up all the numbers (and taxes) from the first quarter. Easter. Leaves on our tree (ahead of everyone else on the block!). And working on book 3 in
One of my highlights every week is having coffee with a friend. We’ve set aside time in our busy calendars to get together and chat about everything from faith to family to how we can pray for each other. It’s a precious time of encouraging and being encouraged. Of laughter and tears and just plain hitting reset in the middle of the chaos to remember that connection matters. I have less regularly scheduled but equally precious