The Heartfelt Counsel of a Friend
For years, I had a friend tell me “Look, just because you’re skinny, doesn’t mean you're healthy.” And you know what? My friend was right. I barely exercised and my diet needed some major tweaking. I could fool a lot of people, but I couldn’t fool my friend. This friend knew me well, knew my routine, and also knew a thing or two about health and fitness. Constructive feedback isn’t easy to hear, but according to the man who got a download of wisdom straight from the creator of wisdom- it’s what we NEED to hear. Throughout the book of
Perfect Peace
Earlier this year, my son had a health scare. He was over at a friend’s house and had a seizure. They were playing football in the house (because this what we do), and my friend heard the ball hit the wall. She turned around at the exact moment that he started to fall down. She managed to get to him before he hit his head on the ground, and he started seizing in her arms. They called the paramedics and called me. When I answered the phone, I heard a bunch of screaming in the background. I thought “Wow, they’re
I am the church
There has been one constant since I was a little girl. Being at church on Sunday mornings. The pandemic interrupted my track record for a bit, but I got back as soon as they opened the doors. I could have easily skipped church while I was in college…but it was so ingrained in me to go. And trust me, I needed to be in God’s house during that time in my life. I’m grateful that my parents made it part of my weekly routine early on, because it is part of the fabric of my life. Now that I’m an
Deep Cleaning
A few weeks ago, we got decked out and attended my cousin's wedding. The four of us got dressed up, curled our hairs (those of us that could), put on make up (again, those of us that could), dug up our dancing shoes and had a great time. The wedding was beautiful. The food was great. We all had a fabulous time. I'd love to turn this into a post about that, but that would be too easy. Before we left, I noticed that my sink was clogging up. I had actually noticed it a few days earlier, but I
It Will Be Okay
Recently when I was walking back to my desk at work, I noticed something that I had not seen in a while. The office was full of people and buzzing with activity. While that may not seem significant, I was immediately taken back to the Spring of 2020. The company I work for had just moved into a new office space less than 8 months prior. The company was expanding and the previous office space could no longer accommodate its growth. But when 2020 came, the global pandemic left the world locked in and locked down. This brand new office
The List
My son wanted to see the “list”. Years before I met my husband, I had written down all the qualities I was looking for in a spouse. My kids learned about this list and my son had been begging to see it. So there we were on the car ride home from church when I pulled out the folded-up, tattered, ink-smeared paper out of my purse and read it to my family. The kids giggled as I read each dream trait aloud, trying to see if Daddy checked all the boxes. -Accepted Jesus into his
Right Now!
We were celebrating my husband’s parents 50th wedding anniversary, when my oldest son asked the million dollar question. “So, over the past 50 years, what has been your favorite season of life?” Without hesitation, mom answered, “Right now!” Really? I was expecting to hear, “When the kids were small” or “When those adorable little grandkids came around.” But no…It was “Right Now!” Hearing mom say those words filled my heart with so much joy…and so much hope. In just a couple of days, we would be celebrating my youngest son's high school graduation. This meant college was just around the
Being a Bean
When we had some down time a few weeks ago, we watched a Mr Bean movie with the kids. For those of you that might be unfamiliar with Mr Bean, he is a British actor that stars in slapstick comedy movies. He doesn't speak very much during the movie- he mainly grunts and verbalizes a few words. He usually lands himself in some kind of comical situation that transcends language and leaves you in stitches. In this particular movie, Mr Bean was on a quest to find the beach in France. His journey included a train ride across Europe and
Happily Ever After
When I said “I do” 23 years ago to my husband, I literally expected to live happily ever after. In fact, the intro of our wedding video features clips from an animated fairy tale. I know, I was young and naive. The truth is, it didn’t take long to realize that there are challenges to face and obstacles to overcome even in marriage. And believe me when I say that we have our fair share! A greeting card I bought for my husband summarized our story well: "They took every smile and every tear, a few differences of opinion, and
Purity
I remember exactly where we were at. Dad and I were in our car at the bank’s drive-thru lane. I watched as the cylinder carrier zoomed up papers through the vertical tube to the teller inside the building. It was a very long line with about four cars ahead of us, and Dad used that time to talk to me about life. I was just starting middle school, and somehow, someway Dad got me to reveal that I had a crush on a boy. He has a gentle way of asking questions that prompts honest answers. Although I was extremely
