Yesterday, I stood before the family, friends, and new readers who would now be friends gathered in the Shallow Well United Church of Christ fellowship building for my book launch. I was ready to end the anticipation and step forward and present the book I'd worked on for the past ten years. "It's only fitting that … Continue reading Going Home to Launch
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People in My Path: Tapestry of Support
When I go on my Solo Journeys each year, I pray before I leave that God will "bless me and the people in my path." I never know who those people will be, but when traveling alone I know that I'll depend on others along my way, and they may need that same support from … Continue reading People in My Path: Tapestry of Support
Reframing: Giveaway to Gift
You see it everywhere-- Free stuff in exchange for something. Audiences on The Ellen Show jump up and down with excitement as she gives one thing away then another to her raving fans. Dr. Phil gives a book by a professional that’s under the audiences' chairs. Giveaways also come in meager forms like raffles at … Continue reading Reframing: Giveaway to Gift
The People in our Path: Unlikely Friends
Ten years ago, I gave myself a birthday gift of attending a writing conference in Greensboro—about forty minutes from my home. I didn’t know anyone going to the conference and decided to approach it like my solo journeys—praying that God would bless me and the people in my path, trusting that things would unfold as … Continue reading The People in our Path: Unlikely Friends
All is Calm
It’s just two days until Christmas. This year will be quieter than past years, since our dinner will be postponed until our son and his family return from spending the holiday with his in-laws. We used to have gatherings with larger numbers of relatives, but now we’re in that phase of life where our children … Continue reading All is Calm
Three Great Gifts
One of the surprises for me of Going Social are the connections I've made with people and organizations around the world. After one of my post concerning my journey with breast cancer, an organization in the United Kingdom, Cancer Care Parcel messaged me and invited me to do a guest blog post. Looking at their … Continue reading Three Great Gifts
Family Ties: Someone’s Favorite
I've been decorating my home for Christmas and I keep finding special things that remind me of my Aunt Polly: an engraved ornament, my blue porcelain angels, woodland birds. On Saturday evenings when my husband and I watch movies, I work on my crewel embroidery pillow and remember how she taught me the stitches when … Continue reading Family Ties: Someone’s Favorite
Being Present: Stay in Touch
Years ago, when I was writing part of the eulogy for my father-in-law’s funeral service, I asked for each of the five grandsons to share a special memory of their ‘PaPa’. My younger son, Ross told me that his Papa was a really good listener. His example to support this was that when he told … Continue reading Being Present: Stay in Touch
Celebrating a Life
Today I'm remembering a solo journey I took back in 2009 to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My desire was to visit the place that had been significant for my mother. She and her cousin, Yvonne traveled there by train when they were both nineteen to prepare for work in WWII as civil servants. Throughout my childhood, Mama … Continue reading Celebrating a Life
Hope and a Future
A new chapter in our lives began six years ago when Mama went to live at Parkview Retirement Village in Sanford, our hometown. That day when we three sisters took Mama and faced the reality that we could no longer keep her safely in her home, was one of the most difficult days of my … Continue reading Hope and a Future
