This is my 200th post on this blog. I started in May of 2017 after I returned home from the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers' Conference. There, I pitched my memoir to agents and attended sessions on marketing my work. What everyone in the writing world suggested was having a blog so you could provide … Continue reading Happy 200th Post!
Keeping Our Hope
This past week, I'veĀ felt the impact of having been in this pandemic shut down for a month. While most of the time, I can find hope and write about that in my blog-- I struggle like everyone with sustaining hope. I work part-time with a research study that looks at the impact of mental illness … Continue reading Keeping Our Hope
Metamorphosis: Growing into the Next Phase of Life
It's Easter weekend, and for me as a Christian, it's the most thoughtful time of the year. I contemplate the miraculous, and see the transformation through the life of Christ from the desolation of the forty days in the desert, to the suffering of the crucifixion followed by darkness and separation, and then the triumphant … Continue reading Metamorphosis: Growing into the Next Phase of Life
Take Only What You Need
This has been another week marked by the strange reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. We've continued to face the new 'normal' of sheltering-in-place while trying to absorb the shock of how quickly life can change. I have to limit how much I watch the news on television or listen to podcasts or radio shows that … Continue reading Take Only What You Need
Waiting for the Bluebirds
Lately I've been taking longer walks and noticing the birds in a flurry of activity with their birdsong on the morning breeze. Bluebirds fly over making quick jaunts across the street from one tree to another. I wondered if any had made nests in the two bluebird houses my brother-in-law put up for me last … Continue reading Waiting for the Bluebirds
Celebrating Another Year of Life
Today is my birthday. I had a weekend of celebration planned including going to a Western Dance on Saturday night and Swing Dance on Sunday night, and in between celebrating with my family so my grandson could enjoy my cake with me. But instead, it'll be a mostly quiet day because of COVID-19 as we … Continue reading Celebrating Another Year of Life
Found Time: Looking Back and Looking Forward
Tonight I'm sitting at home because of the Coronavirus aka COVID-19. I'm very disappointed because I'd planned to go with friends to a Western dance at a new venue with live music. It's a small thing, I know, compared to the big fears of folks catching this virus that's unfamiliar and has no vaccine. But … Continue reading Found Time: Looking Back and Looking Forward
Our Best-Laid Plans
Throughout our marriage, my husband David has often called me a planner; always thinking about what's ahead, using lists and keeping calendars to stay on track. It's true that I've usually had a pretty clear idea of where I was headed and what I wanted. I've been goal-directed and was one of those people who … Continue reading Our Best-Laid Plans
Saying Goodbye to My Christmas Guest
I left the hospital that Monday night excited that my friend Delores would be coming to stay with me rather than at the hospital hotel. Her husband, Johnny had been admitted to the UNC Cancer Hospital on December 2cnd to treat complications from melanoma. I could see Delores was exhausted from spending her days at … Continue reading Saying Goodbye to My Christmas Guest
The Law of Subtraction
Yes, the law of subtraction. That's what came to me at 3:30 that early January morning when my mind was overloaded, trying to figure out how to add another activity to my already busy schedule. My friends had insisted, against my protest, that I needed to be in a DivoceCare group now, no putting it … Continue reading The Law of Subtraction