Blog

Following Mom’s Example

I want to install central air in my house, but know-it-all Kate says I need to save my money. It’s my money, and I should be able to spend it like I want.”
Mom had grown weary of finding someone to install and remove the window unit each spring and fall. My mom had worked hard all her life, pulling double shifts at the local nursing home until she retired when my dad received his cancer diagnosis.

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When Your Abnormal is Normal

In recent weeks, I have felt out of sorts, depressed, anxious, distressed, or just a case of the blues. My energy tank is running on empty. I pray. I read. I write. I clean, wash dishes, do laundry and go for a walk. Nothing satisfies me. Nothing can quench my thirst for socialization. Shocking since writers tend to isolate. What is wrong with me? Are you sharing any of my symptoms? This is abnormal for me, but my abnormal is quite normal.

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How Do We Find Strength?

With each painful step, I felt old. My left leg couldn’t even line up with my right leg. Filled with so much inflammation, it stuck out toward the side. I want to walk normal again. I want to walk my dog, Iva again.

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A delay isn’t A Denial

I don’t wait well. Can I get an “Amen?” I vividly remember the night I sat on my sofa texting. I even remember who I was texting and the conversation. Suddenly, my ears popped, like when you travel the mountains. But this was different. They didn’t pop back, and my hearing was greatly impaired.
All the doctors assured me it takes time for the fluid or the pressure to return to normal since I had an upper respiratory infection. They didn’t get it. Without sight, my safety depends on my ears.

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The Sweet Spot in Our Suffering

Is it possible to discover a sweet spot when darkness surrounds us? As I stepped outside on this early March morning, something was odd. The birds were singing, but sunrise was still an hour away. How unusual! I thought birds typically wait until the sun starts its’ ascent before they greet the day with a song. Yet, in the somber blackness, some birds harmonized in a joyful melody. A sweet spot on a dreary morning.
While Jesus spoke to His eleven disciples, (Judas had departed.) they couldn’t grasp what He told them just hours before His arrest.

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Put Power in Your Prayers in 2024

After scheduling the surgery, I came across a verse outside of the Bible, possibly in a book or online article. I saw the Scripture with new eyes. I looked the verse up in my preferred translation to ensure it was not taken out of context. Allow me to set the stage for you.

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Living Under A Dark Cloud

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Since COVID-19 has attacked our nation and the world, I awake to a dark cloud. My life is sunny and joyous. Birds sing and flowers bloom, but I can’t help but feel something weighing us down.
I’m not part of those who are vulnerable to the virus. My speaking engagements and book signings have all been canceled, but my husband’s job is secure for now. I miss church and find myself living like a hermit once again. The way I lived before Iva, my guide dog and best friend, came along.
I’m not a doctor or nurse fighting this invisible enemy on the front lines, watching people die alone. Taking their own lives because of the incredible weight of working on the battlefields in our hospitals.
I’m not separated from family due to isolation. We still have toilet paper and food. But still a dark cloud seems to loom over us. I find it difficult to focus on writing my next book. My energy level has tanked. Does anyone else feel this way?

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