Writer, Speaker, Editor, Blogger
This week, my son announced the upcoming closure of his recording studio, which has been his passion and full-time job for almost ten years. Although he told me this was a possibility, I wasn’t expecting the announcement to come so soon. In some ways, I’m sad, but I know his decision is God-led, therefore, I […]
Years ago, when my mother was alive and still living in my childhood home, the swimming pool stayed covered one summer while she was in and out of the hospital. The next year, I knew it needed to be uncovered. I expected it to be a mess, and it was. As I struggled to remove […]
March is usually the month with the most unpredictable weather. While wind is a given, temperatures are erratic. March teases us with a warm and sunny day followed by a return to cold and dreary. A chilly morning gives way to a hot afternoon, or a warm start to the day ends with blustery cold. […]
Any time you have a dramatic life change, if you are willing, you learn from the experience. The death of a loved one presents that opportunity. Following are reflections on what I’ve learned in the last year and two months: Expect Times of Loneliness Recently, I woke up and smelled coffee brewing. Then, I realized […]
This week, I attended my oldest grandson’s basketball game. The team was excited and ready to play. A school friend was there to cheer for them, waving her glittery gold pompom and yelling encouragement. Last week, my grandson practiced shooting hoops for hours at my house. He hardly missed a basket. In the actual game, […]
I found last week’s helicopter and plane crash upsetting and disturbing, followed by a second crash and more lives cut short. The reality of the instantaneous loss of that many lives clung to me all week like a cold, wet blanket, heavy and oppressive. Perhaps, the fact that the emotions felt so familiar factored in. […]
Here we are, two weeks before Christmas, and life’s hardships haven’t slowed down for many. In the past week, these are situations of which I’m aware, two unexpected deaths, a death after a years-long decline, hospitalizations, those who’ve had surgery, those caring for loved ones with cancer, and several people near death. Life marches on, […]
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 […]
Maintaining a positive perspective in hard life seasons is challenging. It’s easy to drift into a woe-is-me mindset and forget the way you feel now won’t last forever. One of my most difficult challenges in this season of grief is dreaming about Jim and then waking to find him not here. Sometimes, I don’t even […]
Each of us has a life story as unique and varied as personal DNA. Some life stories are filled with pain and hardship; others are stories of blessing and ease. But most of our life stories are filled with ups and downs, seasons of goodness and seasons of struggle. What story is your life telling? […]