Late Thursday afternoon, I was honored to be with Mama as she passed from this life to her eternal home. It was that difficult and deep time of witnessing someone you love take their last breaths, while you watched that mystery unfolding, knowing this was a transition you couldn't experience with them. She was in … Continue reading A Life Like Hers: Paying Tribute to Mama
faith in God
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
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
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
Season of Waiting
Tonight, on this first night of summer, I write this post while sitting in a wicker chair on my front porch. I listen to the sound of water trickling down the ribbed sides of our pottery fountain. Birds are flitting back and forth in the early evening light. Parents pass with school-age children riding bikes … Continue reading Season of Waiting
Charis Coffee Company: Places in Our Path
Before each Solo Journey, I pray that God will bless me and the people and places in my path. In last week's blog, I talked about my dolphin cruise and the impact of those animals on my day. On that Friday morning before my cruise, I walked across from where Captain Johnny's boat was docked to … Continue reading Charis Coffee Company: Places in Our Path
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
I Choose Joy!
That day, my nursing supervisor called me to intervene with an employee situation. Since I’d worked in mental health for fifteen years before becoming a school nurse, she depended on me to help settle down a staff member who was upset, out of control about a student situation she felt had been mishandled. By the … Continue reading I Choose Joy!
Digging Up My Buried Shame
Our group of six women sat around the conference room table of Waverly Hematololgy and Oncology, the place where I'd received my chemo years before and now participated in the first Expressive Writing Group. Mary Barnard, Office Manager and poet, was our group leader and was certified in teaching the Write to Heal program created … Continue reading Digging Up My Buried Shame
