It seemed destined to fail from the start. My three young adult kids decided to start a new tradition. Rather than purchasing ready-made, they wanted to make Christmas gifts for each family member. None of them lived here. They were all busy with college finals and new jobs right up until they … [Read more...] about When Christmas Feels Like a Catastrophe
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On Hope and a Plan
In the 1970s, the year 2020 sounded very futuristic, like the shows we watched of The Six Million Dollar Man or Lost in Space. About that time, my older brother wrote some far-away predictions on a classroom-sized chalkboard that hung hidden (and rather out of place) along one wall in our … [Read more...] about On Hope and a Plan
Sensible Skin is Tougher Than You’d Think
Every mama knows, preschool conversations reveal some of life’s biggest truths. It was my day to have the two for lunch after their morning at preschool, my younger daughter and her four-year-old friend. It was a Thursday thing that year. These besties loved spending as much time together as they … [Read more...] about Sensible Skin is Tougher Than You’d Think
Finding God in Soggy Cereal & Cold Coffee
As a kid, I was pretty good at math. Not to brag, but I won my fair share of chalkboard arithmetic races. So I could usually finish my homework in class or during study hall. But I chose not to. Instead, I saved my long division to work on during the nearly hour-long bus ride home or while I … [Read more...] about Finding God in Soggy Cereal & Cold Coffee
To Manage a Mountain
Warm, barefoot summers in Kansas I avoided them at all cost. Those feisty red ants had hills stationed throughout the farmstead. If a kid wasn’t looking where she was going, she got a painful reminder that she was infringing on their territory. Still, I spent hours observing those little guys at … [Read more...] about To Manage a Mountain
Borrowed Words
Precious friends, I want to share with you my piece that was recently published by Yahoo Lifestyle and The Mighty. But I also want to include here more personal content than was distributed in these publications. As we approach the four-year anniversary of my diagnosis this month, I am especially … [Read more...] about Borrowed Words