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
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
Is it already two weeks into the new year? Yikes. Time really does fly the older I get. But one thing doesn’t change and that’s my love for new chapters and blank slates and fresh beginnings. (Even if my left eye is still flashing at times with a curtain of floaters to keep things from getting boring.) As I said last time: “I’m more than ready to turn the page to 2026 and start the next chapter
Oops. I guess I didn’t really think how that subject line might sound. So, let me put your mind at rest. I’m not giving up my author hat and there will be more books coming. Phew. It’s just that I’m writing this on New Year’s Eve. That natural breaking point where one chapter ends and the next begins, so the analogy made sense. But as a writer, there are nuances I’d love to unpack a
Good morning from Missouri! Yes, this girl dragged a lot of family (i.e. her parents, husband, two adult children, a daughter-in-law, and a grandson) across several state lines in a 14-hour drive from Colorado to Branson. Road trips in December can get a little risky with winter weather, but it was worth it! Why? Because our youngest now lives in Missouri and this is the busiest time of the year in his new job building hand-crafted furniture at
Some of you dear readers have been on my email list for long enough to remember (and have been praying for) our ongoing estate issue saga. For those who are new (or those who could use a quick refresher), here’s the shortish version: My mother-in-law passed away very unexpectedly in the fall of 2022 and my personal writing schedule took a backseat to wrangling the details of her complicated multi-state estate. (i.e. three states and three probate
This week marks the beginning of a new year with so many possibilities ahead. Coffee dates with friends. Bible studies with a small group. Trails to hike. Books to read. Stories to create. Meals to fix. Love to share. But things don’t always go according to plan! Case in point: 2023. I started off last year full of HOPE that we would get through the myriad of details to finalize my mother-in-law’s estate. ?Then we
Lately I’ve spent some time reflecting back on my life and the various twists and turns that got me here. The reason for such introspection is all health-related because the constant stress lately is causing more-than-a-few problems and you can’t truly fix what’s broken until you get to the cause. BUT in the process, I’ve remembered several life-altering changes. Like when I was in elementary school and my dad got a new job in a