Writer, Speaker, Editor, Blogger
The New Year is like a blank sheet of paper. We have fresh opportunities to make changes, set new goals, and write new chapters of our lives. As you begin this year, consider these ten tips to help you focus and maintain forward motion: Temper Actions and Words – Often we behave certain ways without […]
What brings you joy at Christmas? Is it time with family, baking, singing, volunteering your time and talents? Christmas is a time for celebration, rejoicing, and counting blessings, but it’s also a time to brighten the lives of others, and give as your heart prompts. Here are a few of my favorite things at Christmas: […]
When our children were young, a zealous property owners association board member encouraged everyone in the neighborhood to purchase and place luminaries on the curb in front of their houses each Christmas Eve. Even if we prepared in advance, it was always stressful to get the luminaries in place and lighted before extended family arrived […]
A favorite cousin gave me an amaryllis about five weeks ago. The bulb was just beginning to sprout. It was a busy day, so when I got home, I put the plant on a table in our garage. It stayed there for several weeks with minimal light. Even in those less than ideal conditions, it […]
Will this be a difficult Christmas for you? Amid all the activities and festivities, is your heart breaking as you miss the presence of a loved one? Loss comes in many different forms and the associated grief manifests differently for each of us. Your grief may be new or surface afresh after many years. I […]
With each passing year, Thanksgiving becomes less and less recognized. Merchants haul out Christmas decorations, and advertisers warn of supply chain issues and shipping delays, while encouraging early shopping. I love Christmas—it’s meaning, observance, and celebration, but ignoring Thanksgiving on a November Thursday, and year-round, is a misstep. Giving thanks is an action that is […]
This week, I was surprised and excited to learn I am a finalist in the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) First Impressions contest. For me, writing fiction is like writing with my non-dominant hand, or perhaps the non-dominant side of my brain is more accurate. I think and write nonfiction, which is my “native tongue,” […]
Last week, a dear friend encountered a monumental life pause when she found her husband on the floor, unresponsive. Three days later, she released him to heaven. We all experience times when life takes a sudden twist that slams us into a “road closed” sign and halts forward motion. Although perhaps not as unexpected and […]
While waiting to check out at the grocery store, I overheard the man in the line beside me talking to the person in front of him. “The world is so much meaner than it used to be,“ he said. Because I didn’t hear what was said prior to his comment, I don’t know the rest […]
Are you wishing your life away, grasping for something different, better, or more prestigious than your current circumstances? Often, we forgo happiness and contentment, right now, by comparing ourselves to others or focusing on what we don’t have. Contentment doesn’t always come easily to us. In the last two difficult years, we’ve had a choice: […]