Learning
Growth
Unity
Showing Up Openhearted
From time to time, I look back and marvel at how God brought me to my current address. If, for example, I hadn’t been able to return to the one place that felt most like home—a place I moved away from after my first husband died because I couldn’t afford to stay—then I wouldn’t have met Dan.
When All You Have Are Brothers
April 10 is National Siblings Day, which caused me to think back to my childhood years with my siblings. Sandwiched in between brothers, I’d always wanted a sister to stand strong with me against the two of them. But alas …
How to Unearth Miracles
It was a week of scuba diving, exploring the beach bare-footed, boating past mangrove trees, reading, entertaining monkeys and macaws, marveling at the sloths, catching a sunset, making new friends, and enjoying international cuisine.
Your Address Is No Accident
Will Parker Anderson, senior editor with Penguin Publishing Group, pens a Substack blog with content that is meant to be encouraging and informational for those of us who clack away on our keyboards in hopes of telling a good story. Occasionally, though, he shares words of wisdom to writers and non-writers alike.
Why Brushing Your Teeth Can Be a Holy Act
If you watched the recent Milano Cortina Olympics, you might have noticed a new event or two. Skimo, short for ski mountaineering, made its debut this year. It’s a sprint on skis with about 230 feet in vertical climbing.
Creating Something from Bones
I’ve boiled chicken and turkey bones for soup broth. I’ve thrown ham bones in with the pinto beans to make delicious pots of bean soup. But I’ve never pondered how I was creating something from what normal people would consider to be garbage. Bones.
How to Walk Through Grief with a Friend
A friend lost her daughter unexpectedly. I’d read once that it was good for the bereaved to talk about their loss, and that we—their people—could encourage them by asking questions.
You Have Memories Worth Remembering
“So,” I said to my husband Dan. “About Thanksgiving and Christmas … what are we going to do?” It was our first winter holiday season as newlyweds. And it was the year of COVID.
My favorite time of the year has always been from November through December. Except …
Help!
The women from my church called to see if they could bring meals while my first husband was actively dying in the hospital bed in our living room.
“That’s so kind of you,” I replied. “Thank you, but it’s just our daughter and me, and we don’t eat much.”
Older than I Was, but Not Yet Old
Friday date night began mid-morning with a hike along Wychus Creek. (Have I ever mentioned how much I love date nights that start in the morning?!)
After following the noisy little stream, the trail veers upward over boulders where the path isn’t always obvious. (I may or may not have led us off the main route to a drop-off once.)
What Are Your Markers of Success?
Back in the olden days, there were paper calendars with pretty pictures that hung on our kitchen walls. The one on display in our home tracked our crazy, busy schedule with two children. Looking at that calendar with all its crammed-full squares gave me a sense of worth. How skewed was that?!
The Best Five Years of My Life
“Aside from the cancer, this has been the best five years of my life,” he’d said to his brother-in-law before passing. His words were shared at his funeral, and they stuck with me. Five years ago, my nephew Michael was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. It forced an early retirement as a pediatrician.
When Your Plans Go Sideways
Once upon a time, I planned a happy marriage with kiddos who, when they grew up and married, would live just down the street from us. Well, maybe not down the street, but certainly closer than 2,784 miles (daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids) and 3,716 miles (son and daughter-in-law).
Strengthening Ties and Air Shows
Date Night in our household unfolds on Fridays, although one of us tries to extend it into one big Date Day. “Honey, do you want to walk down to the Old Mill and get a chai latte this morning?” “Hey, does a hike sound good this afternoon?” “Where are we having dinner this evening?” See how that works.
What Are Your Markers of Success?
What are your markers of success?
Success used to look like getting as many items checked off my to-do list as possible in a day. The more I accomplished, the more successful I was, right? And maybe even the more worthy I was, or so I thought.
When We Awake to Astonishment
Probably the most astonishing sight I’ve seen lately is video of my husband hanging out with sharks.
We spent eight days on an archipelago of 330 islands that make up the country of Fiji. Dan is scuba diving as I sit in our private yard with the “Beware: Coconuts Falling” sign on the largest palm tree, and the hammock and the blue sea beyond.
When It’s Only a Human-sized Effort
You may have heard the story of the elderly man who was shuffling along a beach with an unusual amount of stranded starfish. In the distance, he noticed a young boy picking up starfish and pitching them back into the sea.
When the lad got within hearing distance, the old man called out, “What are you doing?”
Why Are You Here?
It was midnight and I was hitchhiking home to California on Interstate-5. A trucker stopped to pick me up. A trucker with a daughter my age. On the drive south, he said he’d take me all the way to the California bay area, but he encouraged me to return to school.
When Anxiety Muscles Its Way In
I’m not a worrier by nature. During my widow years, it was normal to drive to a wilderness trailhead, text a friend to let her know where I was, and then call her when I returned to my car. Looking back, it would have been a good idea to have a healthy fear about hiking alone in the wilderness.
What Would It Look Like to Take a Screen Break?
A friend recently threw out a challenge to see if we could take a 24-hour rest from all screens—phones, computers, TVs. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it was enlightening to discover the most challenging aspect of screen dependency.