Writer, Speaker, Editor, Blogger
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 […]
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 […]
This week our area of the country is expected to reach record-breaking high temperatures. People respond differently to intense heat. Some stay inside. Others spend the day in the pool or at the lake. But for those with outdoor jobs, there is no escape. Likewise, when life situations cause you to experience trial by fire, […]
My husband and I just returned from an amazing trip to Italy, Turkey, and Greece, following the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul. The majority of our trip was a cruise, with numerous port stops along the way. Twice, we had a little card on our bed that said, “We are time traveling,” with instructions […]
In recent weeks, I’ve found myself repeating the phrase “not what we expected” regarding my husband’s recovery from surgery. The surgery went fine and produced the desired results, but issues unrelated to surgery find us saying, “This is not what we expected!” We all have expectations. Some are realistic; others aren’t. Have you reached a […]
Last week, my husband had surgery. The anticipated overnight stay post-surgery evolved into three nights. On the day of discharge, the process dragged on for hours, making us arrive home late. A few complications landed us in the ER the next night. Unexpected. Several people special to me recently received cancer diagnoses. Unexpected. I know […]
Most of us like for unpleasant or painful situations to resolve quickly. If we have surgery or an injury, we often chafe at the slowness of the healing process, wanting to hurry everything back to normal. We want the same rapidity with emotional healing, often stuffing hurts into a protected corner of mind and heart […]
As I type this post, I’m distracted. The last few months have been filled with emergent situations, plans that go awry, and fatigue. Add to that mass shootings, soaring gas prices, monkey pox, and a resurgence of COVID and distractions multiply exponentially. Life is filled with the unexpected. Learning to overcome distractions, and maintain forward […]
Last week, as I prepared a snack basket for a friend’s family to enjoy following a celebration of life, I listened to Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor. It was what happened to be playing on Symphony Hall that day at that time. Although I’d heard the piece before, I suddenly noticed many sections end in […]
The word “hijack” conjures images of masked gunmen taking over a plane, or other forms of transportation, making demands, and creating fear and panic. While this is the standard picture, on a more personal level, many things conspire to hijack our thoughts and lives, sending us off course, and creating chaos. Your captors may differ […]