Writer, Speaker, Editor, Blogger
Sunday, I had the joy of singing in our choir Christmas presentation. This year was different. Jim wasn’t sitting in the men’s section. Unlike last year, when Jim remembered his music was still at home halfway there, I got to the church on time. After the presentation, I hugged my family, who were in attendance, […]
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 […]
I’ve been thinking about my dad a lot this week. September 11 marks 33 years since his death. None of us expected him to die at age 72, but cancer robbed him of more years on earth. No matter what age or stage of life you’re in, when a parent dies, it changes how you […]
Several weeks ago, I heard a loud commotion in our side yard. I followed the sound and discovered two arched-backed, neighborhood cats facing each other. With intermittent yowls, and an occasional swat, they challenged each other over a patch of real estate that didn’t belong to either of them. Eventually, they gave up the fight […]
Are you a planner? Do you fit your life onto a calendar and dare anything or anyone to mess with it? Planning gives a sense of control, yet none of us can totally control the course of our lives. Plans go awry without notice. How we respond to change determines how well we adjust to […]
This year, in our area of the country, fall has been slow in coming. The trees remained green long after other areas. Then, seemingly overnight, the leaves turned, providing a riot of reds, golds, and oranges among the green. Sometimes, life seasons are slow to come or slow to leave. When you’re longing for a […]
In the time since my foot surgery, I’ve realized the surgery was the easy part. The healing process is much harder. I have mobility limitations and directives to aid healing, but as is often the case when you suddenly can’t do certain things, all you want is to do those very activities. Healing is not […]
I am currently in the final stages of edits for a book that will publish soon. When I submitted the manuscript in October, I breathed a sigh of relief, although the work wasn’t finished at that point. In many ways, 2020 was a hard year for our family, without factoring in COVID-19 and all its […]
A number of legends exist about the origin of Valentine’s Day. One story is tied to the Roman fertility festival, Lupercalia. Another traces the origin to a priest named Valentine, who defied the Roman emperor’s ban on marriage for young soldiers and performed weddings in secret ceremonies. Another legend suggests Valentine was imprisoned for helping […]
Last Christmas, we received a poinsettia via a harried florist deliveryman. As he thrust the plant into my hands, I noticed several branches were damaged; others, thin and weak. I propped the damaged branches and petted the plant through the Christmas season and into the first month of the new year. By mid-January, the plant […]