No matter what stage I’m in in life, it seems I’m never enough. My plate overruns with abundance of tasks to accomplish. I can’t fathom how anyone can be bored when there is so much demanding time in the day. Never ending battles with guilt When my babies needed constant care, I worried about neglected…
What lasts? Hand prints in the concrete on a freshly poured patio don’t. Hands and feet dipped in paint and pressed on the wall don’t. Even those pressed into ink and onto a page at birth don’t last forever. Those pressed into plaques to be saved even get stored away in boxes, and one day…
Do you get enough sleep? The last few months, I’ve been tired because my sleep is disrupted. Not enough sleep leaves me groggy and sometimes grumpy. I used to get enough—once my children slept through the night and I figured out what worked for me. But now, I’ve come to value a good night’s rest…
God moments happen when I least expect them. Seeing God act never gets old. For me, two such times happened under stress. Sometimes I forget the faithfulness and goodness of God. I wrestle with a decision or a choice. I lash out in anger. Why, God? I seek guidance but feel stuck. Then SMACK. I…
I’m living in a construction zone, which reminds me to remember that little steps add up to the completion of big projects. This summer, I’ve watched my rural subdivision go from country to more town-like. New homes block my view of the wildlife racing through the field or grazing in the waning sunlight. And it…
One morning on my walk, I happened to glance along the roadside and glimpsed a four-leaf clover. My mom and sister love looking for the allusive four-leaf clovers and pressing them in books. I walk at a fast clip so to notice a four-leaf clover while walking is incredible to me. Whenever I join my…
When our friend, Jim, fell off a roof and required a few surgeries to repair the damage, we had just the gift to cheer him—a bedpan cake. Since he was the one to originate the idea, it seemed most appropriate. Jim is a funny guy. True, he makes us laugh a lot. But I also…
My life slipped into routine. I became predictable. The whole culmination of 2020 left me disappointed, discouraged, disillusioned. I needed to break the mold, try something new, have an adventure. My kayaking adventure My sister offered an opportunity one Monday in July when she invited my daughters and me to kayak. Anticipation and fear wrestled…
Sometimes life beats us down. We forget why we matter and even if what we work so hard at matters. This year of upheaval magnifies these doubts and questions. The Bible blares the answers if we listen. The Bible not only declares you matter, it says you’re valuable. Today, I’ll share some of what I…
Three months. That’s how long I stayed away from church. My family and I attended Sunday service on March 15 and didn’t attend again until June 14. A lot happened in those three months. Then again, not much happened because we stayed home, “sheltering in place.” But you understand. You’ve lived through this unusual time.…