Reflections
Becoming
Yesterday was my birthday. It was a day much like any other. I went to work and took care of the tasks that needed attention. But my husband bought beautiful flowers reminding me of his love. My son called multiple times to talk and let me know he loved me. I got dozens of texts…
Half time
I was resting in my hotel room and I ran across an obscure program hosted by a singer that I remembered from the 1980’s. The conversation was about women and how easy it is for them to feel invisible in the second half of their life. Transitions such as children growing up, retirement, divorce, widowhood…
Roots
The roads are winding and only sometimes paved. Creeks and man made ponds dapple the landscape, visible between tall stands of oak and pine. Heaven on Earth. Turkey vultures strut through barren fields. Rocks are plentiful in the overturned soil. Cattle call across the hills and hollows. Hauntingly beautiful and impossibly difficult terrain. It is…
Stillness, Surgery, and Serenity
If you know me, you know I rarely sit still. Even when I am “watching” television, I am usually doing a word puzzle or craft project. When I am driving, I ponder and grapple with ideas. I like to be on the move mentally and physically. So when my husband finally decides (after 10 years…
Labors of Love
I used to look mother in disbelief when she said that she liked to do laundry. For me, a mother of two with a demanding full time job, laundry was a dreaded chore that had to be crammed into my weekend. It was always a scramble just to find all the pieces of clothing and…
Headed Home
I am driving home after a lengthy stay with my son. Leaving his house, I have very mixed emotions. I am feeling that (I am dropping you off for college, I don’t know when I will see you again, you are smart and capable but my life’s mission is to make sure you are okay)…
Life is hard. God is good.
The last few weeks have been difficult; not because there is anything wrong in my life, only because I feel unsettled. Call it a physiological response or existential angst. Maybe it is the summer blahs. Perhaps it is living in what I like to call “the age of anxiety.“ It doesn’t really matter what it…
Perspective
This photo, taken recently, is a favorite precisely because I was startled at the beauty of the bloom. I generally find cacti ugly, horrible little plants. They are designed to take in water and air while keeping everything else away. It is easy to be injured if you are not careful where you tread. Hiking…
Peace Be Still
The words sound simple and joyful. Peace be still. It is peaceful here. The birds are singing. The sun is shining. I am sitting by a campfire and in the stillness of the morning, I am thinking of my beautiful aunts. They are all with the Lord. But today, they are also vivid in my…
When the Rope Breaks
After a very long day, I came out to the yard to sit in my hammock. It has been an exhausting day. I sat down and kicked back into the recesses of the netted hammock that is usually a great comfort. Seconds later as I was slamming derrière first into the asphalt, I realized that…
Friendship
If you’re ever in a jam, here I amIf you’re ever in a mess, S.O.S.If you ever feel so happy you land in jail, I’m your bailIt’s friendship, friendshipJust a perfect blendshipWhen other friendships have been forgotOurs will still be hot. (Noel Coward) Noel Coward wrote some catchy tunes. You can’t help humming along. This…
In Praise of Trees
I love trees. They speak to me in ways that I can’t adequately describe. The sturdiness of their limbs, the roots reaching deep into the ground, the delicate leaves; all contribute to their timeless beauty. Of course, trees are also practical. Trees keep the air clean by filtering carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen. One…
Passing The Time
Today I am thinking about time. How quickly the years go and how slow the hours. I am sitting in a tiny coffee shop in a small Indiana Town. A fun find in the middle of nowhere. . . or somewhere, depending on your view. It is quirky and artsy, and best of all, it…
Perspective and Neuroplasticity
There is water running down my windows but it is not raining. The air outside is like a sauna. It is steamy and thick. Why is it that when I pay to visit a sauna, I enjoy the sensation? But, when I am trying to mow my lawn, enjoyment is not the word I am…
Christmas Magic
As long as I can remember, in the few days before Christmas I am consumed by an unbearable desire to have everyone I love under one roof as soon as possible. I know that the family togetherness is imminent. But can’t come fast enough. I love the rituals of Christmas. I love the trees and…
Coming Home
It is no secret that I love to stay busy. I love to hike and bike and travel. When I leave the house, I enjoy anticipating what each new day may bring. Perhaps it is innate in me, this sense of adventure. Perhaps it was cultivated by my elders, who made each step outside the…
Friends Old and New
I am sitting in my pajamas after just talking to a friend on the other side of the world. In seconds, we were connected and speaking as if we were sitting right next to each other. A pleasant conversation to end her day and to begin mine. Meanwhile, I received a social media text from…
Peonies Make Me Think Of You
In the Spring the peonies pop up from the ground in vibrant greens. As their big leafy stalks appear, I think of you. Memories come unbidden of sitting on your front porch in the Spring rain. I would rock slowly in the old iron chair that used to sit in your Dad’s lawn. Generational history…
What I learned from TV Westerns
I grew up watching Westerns. My grandparents fed me a steady diet of John Wayne and Gene Autry. But I loved the television series westerns like The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Bonanza, and the rifleman. In one hour, a community is faced with a crisis and then larger than life characters with outsized…
Thanksgiving
The leaves have turned. The air has turned colder. The days are shorter. There is an urgency to make the most of any weather that permits outdoor living. Winter is coming. It is the time of year that family negotiations begin. Where shall we meet? How many will come? Who will bring food? The coordination…
Decoration Day
My grandma always called Memorial Day by its old name…decoration day. It was a day set aside to decorate the graves of soldiers with flowers and to honor their memories. Eventually, decoration day became Memorial Day. She was adamant about honoring family with artificial flowers. My decoration day celebration, however, is always the 48 hours…
Confessions of an Extroverted Introvert
Sometimes it just seems too “peoply” out there. Don’t get me wrong, I love people. I enjoy extended time with friends and families. I love going to work and encountering new individuals of all ages. But I am an extroverted introvert. There is something in me that screams for alone time. If I am in…
My Toes Are Cold
As I sit and watch the snow outside my window, my toes are cold. But my coffee is warm. I have central heating in my house and a blanket on the arm of my chair. My toes are cold, but they don’t have to be. Down the hall, I have a warm bed which I…
Hibernation
The cold fingers of winter creep up on you. Wrapped in the post holiday glow, you don’t notice it at first. Still full and warm, you snuggle into a comfortable lull. At first it seems cozy. Contentment radiates, until one day you decide to pack away the decorations. The house looks clean and bright. You…
Skunked
Friday started out normally. I had laundry running and was packing for an upcoming trip. As I moved from room to room, I caught whiffs of an unusual odor. I kept working. There was a heat wave, with temperatures reaching 100 and I wasn’t too keen on working outside in between my zoom calls and…
Stuck In The Mud
It started out innocently enough. We arrived home from a lengthy trip and realized that workers were coming the next day to start replacing our deck. Our RV usually sits on a large paved pad next to our house, but that area would be needed by the construction workers. My husband, just as he has…
I Don’t Want To Be Pretty
I don’t want to be pretty, but of course I do. I don’t want to be just a winner of the genetic lottery, and ornamentally pleasing. I mean that must be nice, and I certainly don’t want people to think I am ugly. But I would rather be stylish and interesting. If you think that…
It Is Messy Sometimes
Today, while waiting for a Dr.’s appointment, I saw a funeral notice and tribute for a former professor/ church leader. As I saw the texts of support and accolades, I was instead taken back to a major life lesson he delivered. I was a freshman in college and enrolled in a psychology with professor “b”.…
“Ice”olated
I am in the post- Christmas doldrums. It happens every year. I get all excited in the build up to the holidays. Family fun and endless games, fill the house with laughter. Trees and decorations light up the rooms with colorful sparkle. And then, everyone goes home and the decorations come down. The January sky…
And Still The River Rolls
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5:28 Today, I am standing on a bank of a river contemplating life. The river is peaceful and in the early morning light the only thing stirring is deer. It would be easy to forget every care . I am thankful…
Making Do
There is a game I play on a regular basis. Perhaps challenge is the better word. I look in the pantry and refrigerator to figure out how random and abandoned items can be turned into a meal. This purging of the remnants is cathartic. This Easter we took our first camping trip of the season.…
Another Christmas….
I am up early this morning. Another Christmas when I can’t sleep. Waiting in the glow of Christmas tree lights, I give thanks for the family sleeping under my roof this morning. Another Christmas Eve is in the books. Everyone gathered and all the cars in the driveway, I finally relax. My version is to…
Serenity
Up at dawn, I sip my coffee in solitude and say a prayer of gratitude. It is peaceful. The birds are making the small chirping sounds that accompany a new day. My family thinks I’m a little crazy for getting up with the sun each day. But to me, it is serene. A time when…
There is not a “right way” to camp
There is no right way to enjoy the outdoors. I could walk forever with a pack on my back listening to the sounds of wildlife. It is nice to have our RV parked nearby to provide a dry place to sleep and storage for clothes and food. Backpacking, tent camping, rv life, a cabin or…
Home For Christmas
As long as I can remember, in the few days before Christmas I am consumed by an unbearable desire to have everyone I love under one roof as soon as possible. I know that the family togetherness is imminent. But can’t come fast enough. I love the rituals of Christmas. I love the trees and…
You Called
Last night, just as I was getting ready for bed, you called. I was tired and I had to get up really early this morning. I didn’t mention any of that, because you called. Since you have grown and flown, these moments of insight into your life are rarified. Yes, I could call you and…
Invisible
Blame it on the weather or perhaps the post Christmas Blues, but the last several days I have been melancholy. That is far from my usual optimistic self. I have felt invisible, tucked away in my quiet corner, left to do the many things that need to be done with no fanfare or hoopla. Melancholia…
Summer Struggles
I have a love/hate relationship with my yard. It is spacious with wonderful trees. I have small garden spaces and patios. I even have a large freestanding octagonal swing structure surrounding a fire pit. We also have delightful wildlife that, four months out of the year, turn into creatures of mass destruction. I love to…
Transported
Last evening, I happened upon a program I had never before encountered. The set was cheesy, a tiny theater set up to look like the interior of a barn. The host looked as if he had just been picked up out of rural 1970 on his way to work at a bank. As a matter…
Flower Power
Flowers inspire emotion. This past week, we invited our neighbors for dinner on the patio. He came in carrying a pie and she came carrying a beautiful arrangement of dahlias that she had grown in the back yard. I love pie, but my heart went immediately to the flowers. They are stunning and they sing…
Teachers
Yesterday many area schools had opening day sessions for teachers. It is the first time in 33 years that I wasn’t at one of them. I hope their day was a celebration and that school leadership reminded them how important they are. Teachers are important to society, to communities, and to individuals. Teachers have impact.…
Most People
Ever feel like you don’t quite fit in? That the rest of the world has a mold for human expectation and you don’t quite make the dimensional requirements? I think we all feel that way from time to time. When I hear the phrase, “Most people…” I cringe. It is offered up as an indictment…
Moments to Savor: Travel Goals
Unexpected pleasures. Little joys. Small moments in time. This is what a day consists of… if you are paying attention. I wander around the campsite and pick up sticks. This is a necessary scavenger hunt to start the fire that will yield me coffee. Carefully, placed sticks and some dryer lint start the morning fire. …
I Too Am America
When talking heads try to define what it means to be an American with their endless flag waving , fireworks, and angry cries; I calmly lift a steady gaze. With a firm voice, I say clearly, “I too am America.” My people were the first to walk these woodland trails until the trail turned to…
Prisoner of Hopes 