Writer, Speaker, Editor, Blogger
This week, I had the joy of hosting my church life group in my home. As we filled plates, and found seats at the table, I realized we were a few chairs short. One of the men volunteered to bring chairs in from another room. Everyone shifted as we squeezed in the additional chairs. As […]
Last week, November 8, our anniversary, was a happy day for me. I played mental reruns of the joy of our wedding day and laughed as I remembered some of the funny parts of that day 44 years ago. I was proud of myself for not allowing it to be a day of sadness and […]
November arrived with a flurry of memories and waves of nostalgia. Forty-four years ago, November 8, was our wedding day. The day brought with it a herd of internal butterflies and the usual last-minute snafus. The caterer and florist battled for who had priority in the reception venue. One called, expecting me to choose. […]
As my process of cleaning out continues, I’ve moved into harder areas. I thought the garage was bad, but can now confirm that the attic eaves on either side of the bonus room are worse…much worse. Years ago, we had a problem with squirrels invading attic spaces and “partying down.” I’m finding, and having to […]
Have you ever traveled to another country and found everything to be unfamiliar? It’s to be expected, of course, this feeling of unusual. The people, dress, language, food, customs, even everyday items like toilet paper, are all different. When interfacing with the unfamiliar, it feels awkward, perhaps, even scary. We long for that to which […]
Clean up is still in progress in my neighborhood and surrounding areas following “Helene.” The initial fallen trees and branches are now an unsightly brown, stacked high, lining yards and the sides of streets. An interesting section of trunk caught my eye recently. On its side, a circular hole is visible in the core of […]
Last week marked nine months since Jim’s death. Nine months is significant. Nine months is three-quarters of a year and a milestone for me in this journey of grief. Some of you are thinking what’s the big deal about nine months? Isn’t a year a more reasonable marker? Why is she designating nine months as […]
Last week, hurricane Helene made an unexpected detour from her projected path and veered toward North and South Carolina. I guess she wanted a dose of Carolina hospitality, but she surely was an inconsiderate guest! Massive flooding, spin-off tornados, uprooted trees, and widespread power outages were left in her wake. I am grateful my house […]
For the last few weeks, I’ve been working in our hot, dirty garage, cleaning out years of accumulated junk. There are boxes full of things from Jim’s parents’ house, my parents’ house, and my aunt’s house. Some of those items came to live in our garage because we couldn’t decide what to do with them; […]
Earlier this week, I had an emotional meltdown triggered by a three-word sentence I overheard. My response felt too intense, until I realized grief had been building for weeks with no outlet. It wasn’t that I avoided an expression of emotion, or was it? How often do we tamp down emotion so we can wait […]