We're over three-quarters through January and I'm looking back at how I entered this new year. In my post 2026: Focus on New Year’s Being, I was feeling residual restlessness, an irritated spirit from what had been a long holiday season. The most important thing was to check my anxious thoughts, my "immediate sensitivity" and become … Continue reading New Year’s Goals: Finding New Strategies
faith
Solo Journey: Traveling back to My Hometown
This week I took a Solo Journey of sorts; I traveled back to my hometown of Sanford to do research for an essay. Unlike the 18 journeys I've taken to faraway places since I was forty-six, this was a quick thirty-minute drive. On those 18 journeys, I developed a pattern of starting each day with … Continue reading Solo Journey: Traveling back to My Hometown
Fear Not: Shepherds and Online Dating
This week on Christmas Eve, I attended a worship service like many other Christians around the world. The story of the birth of Christ was read and the verse that stood out for me was the following: And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy … Continue reading Fear Not: Shepherds and Online Dating
Christmas: Focus on Love
Now it's just days away from Christmas and time to finish all the preparations. The season's not as frantic as it was when I was working and raising our sons. But still, time goes by quickly and things I intended to accomplished will be left undone. This is the 4th Sunday in the Christian season … Continue reading Christmas: Focus on Love
Walking a Path of Faith
This Sunday will mark the second in the season of Advent and the Faith candle will be lit. For me, the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph on their sojourn to Bethlehem, is mostly a story of faith. The practical reason for this trip was to pay taxes. But the overarching story is to fulfill … Continue reading Walking a Path of Faith
Subtleties of the Season: Leaning into Hope
Over the days leading into Thanksgiving, I watched the changing of colors from the bright autumnal golds and reds to the muted monochromatic of beige and browns. Beauty is less obvious in the fading, but it's there in subtlety. While the bold oranges of Halloween get our attention, the muted colors of waning flowers and … Continue reading Subtleties of the Season: Leaning into Hope
Solo Journeys: Wide Open Spaces
When I rode my bike last weekend at Ft Caswell, I was transported back to my second Solo Journey. That year I turned fifty and gave myself a trip--alone, for my birthday present. I'd remembered how freeing that first unexpected serendipitous trip to Sedona had been when I was forty-six: no carpooling teenage sons, no … Continue reading Solo Journeys: Wide Open Spaces
Sheltering Trees
It's finally feeling like fall in central North Carolina. The temperatures are going to dip down to the upper 40s tonight. I love jacket weather and feel energized by a chill in the air--compared to the lingering heat and humidity that has been so oppressive. In a few weeks, I'll be heading to the mountains … Continue reading Sheltering Trees
A Twenty Dollar Chain Reaction
My friend, Delores has an empathetic heart; one way she expresses this is by sending her homemade cards. She delights in taking breaks to retreat to her "She Shed," her RV camper in the backyard, where she has her table set up with all her card-making materials. She also takes it upon herself to encourage … Continue reading A Twenty Dollar Chain Reaction
Surrendering to the Seasons of Life
Last year in August when I walked on the Portuguese Coastal Path of the Camino, I was amazed that there were flowers blooming that are at their peak in spring and summer in North Carolina. I was surprised to find a pumpkin growing on a garden fence which we'd typically see in September. In that … Continue reading Surrendering to the Seasons of Life
Connie Rosser Riddle 