This weekend, I took off for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic and headed for the coast. When I long for renewal, the water has always drawn me, especially the ocean, My last trip was exactly a year ago when my younger sister, Peggy generously planned a trip for us when I … Continue reading Come to the Water
Missing the Fall Fairs
If this were a usual year, it would be the opening weekend of the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh; but the pandemic has taken yet another enjoyment away that we have taken for granted. That event has been part of our state's history since it opened in 1853. Back when most people were from … Continue reading Missing the Fall Fairs
From Survivor to Thriver
This month we focus on Breast Cancer Awareness; there are pink balloons and ribbons, special flower bouquets at the grocery floral shop, walks and runs to raise money for research and treatment. Some have called it 'Pinktober' with the flurry of pink, and sometimes that feels as excessive as the overdoing of pumpkin-flavored everything. Last … Continue reading From Survivor to Thriver
Just Enough Encouragement
At almost 91, Mattie Belle is one of my oldest readers. I've known her since I was in ninth grade and became friends with her daughter, Delores. I was so touched when she sent me this handwritten card after she read my memoir. Delores told me that when her mother finished my book, she loaned … Continue reading Just Enough Encouragement
The Next Leg of the Journey
This week I watched Outlander on Netflix and was reminded of the beauty of Scotland. Three years ago I was traveling through some of the land I saw in those episodes. After our time in Paris that I described in last week's post, my husband and I took the Eurail to London, then took ScotRail … Continue reading The Next Leg of the Journey
Saturday Morning in Paris
The chilly breeze yesterday morning, walking in my neighborhood with the tree limbs moving about with leaves edging into fall, reminded me of three years ago in Paris. My husband and I'd flown into Charles de Gaulle Airport early on Thursday morning for a trip that would celebrate my retirement from school nursing. Photo by … Continue reading Saturday Morning in Paris
Trusting in a Safe Anchor
Over the past six months since we've been isolated by the pandemic, I've found solace in reading. Missing the entertainment of swing dancing at the Elk's Lodge on Sunday nights, I've been drawn to fiction. It's a refreshing escape to travel to new places of the novel settings and to explore the lives of the … Continue reading Trusting in a Safe Anchor
Iona: Three Years Later
It's been three years since I was preparing for my first solo journey abroad-- my trip to Iona, Scotland. I wondered then how my week-long retreat at The Abbey, an ancient pilgrimage site, would impact me later. Our theme for the week, "The Pilgrimage of Life" had been part of what drew me. Throughout those … Continue reading Iona: Three Years Later
Out of Sorts: Restoring Balance to Our Lives
One of the blessings that's come out of the pandemic is that I have more leisurely phone conversations with family and friends. I refer to them as 'phone visits' because they're more than brief calls with the assumption you'll talk later in person; you share that space like you're sitting down to a delicious meal. … Continue reading Out of Sorts: Restoring Balance to Our Lives
Worth the Wait: Continuing in The Gap
For months I've been navigating across the rocks in the river of The Gap-- that place between the Old Life and arrival at the bank of the other side where you cross into the New Life; Looking back I'm amazed at all that God has brought me through. When you've had to be focused on … Continue reading Worth the Wait: Continuing in The Gap
