Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King, Jr.   Download an 8x10 of this image here.   Today we honor a man who made a difference. A man of influence and leadership and passion. A man most notable for being a change agent. A thinking man. A man who counted the cost and was willing to pay the price for equality between the races. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who loved God, who sought to live a Christlike life, and follow God's will and calling on his life, no matter what. And it's for … [Read more...]

  I wish my mom or dad would have told me this growing up... I wish people who live by this wouldn't keep it so close to the vest... I wish I hadn't lived nearly half a century before I learned this very big life secret...     It's never about me.    We think that everyone notices us. We think people care how we look. We think that people want our ideas or opinions. We worry and fret and spend endless time being concerned about something that we think the world sees in us. Brett Butler's last words to Scarlett O'Hara in the great classic, Gone with the … [Read more...]

  If you'd like to celebrate someone with a special gift but have no idea what to do... I've got a creative and thoughtful gift option for you.     Every Tuesday we get together with some other couples for spiritual discussion and prayer.  We enjoy the time so much, it's the highlight of our week. The daughter of one of the couples graduated from high school this spring.  She didn't want an open house, but we wanted to do something to celebrate her milestone.  Tim thought we should get some flowers. Flowers are nice... but they don't have any staying power much beyond a week. … [Read more...]

  The lilac in full bloom Is its flower or fragrance The more beautiful?     Do you love the fragrance of a lilac?  I certainly do.  So much so, that I decided that I needed to plant some lilacs to enjoy their fragrance and beauty. My husband jokes that I continuously created new gardens around our first house.  One I created, was a lilac garden near the French doors opening out to our backyard sitting area.  I chose the miniature variety, Miss Kim, partially for its petite size, but also because of its wonderful later bloom and long-lasting fragrance. Its flowers are … [Read more...]

  Have you ever embarked on a new project and then found yourself overwhelmed? Maybe you've been working on something for a while, but things just haven't clicked.  Or... Maybe tell yourself that if you read another book on the subject and get some expert advice, you'll figure things out. Somewhere, deep in your spirit, you sense that you were created to do something significant.     Most of us have hopes and dreams. Have you noticed... some people not only know what they were created to do, but they are doing what they were created to do?  While on the other hand, some seem … [Read more...]

  Sigh! I just wasted two hours of a perfect day.     The kind of day you wait for because it's sunny and energizing and everything you need to get a lot of work cranked out. You should have seen my goals for the day. I even gave myself permission to take care of all the after breakfast chores at lunchtime today, just so I could knock out my work. But, it didn't happen. Instead, I allowed myself to easily be distracted.       Once I get focused on a project or my day, I can accomplish a huge amount of work. But if I get distracted... … [Read more...]

  Years ago there was a comedy showing at the theater that was uproariously funny to most of the movie goers, yet I slid further and further down in my seat. All the hilarity and crazy antics were blanketed with impending doom. That was the day that I discovered that it doesn't matter what the situation is, light-hearted, funny, or dark... I have an issue with impending doom.     Maybe you relate.  I'm guessing that you have been in a spot where you were overwhelmed with dread.  You had to face something that you absolutely did not want to face. When we think about Jesus' last … [Read more...]

Have you ever come across a sign or a quote that made you stop and think?     I was reading a magazine the other day and there was a sign in the publication that said something about "doing good.'  I thought having a quote like that on the wall would be a great encouragement to help me think about caring for others and not being so much about myself. Shortly thereafter, I saw this quote by Thoreau - Be not simply good - be good for something.  Many of us belong to the Good Girls' Club.  We follow the rules, keep our rooms clean, say "please" and "thank you" and even do … [Read more...]

  If a TV reporter were to stop you on the street and thrust a microphone in your face and ask you what you're thankful for this Thanksgiving... what would be your answer? We often talk about gratitude here and how a thankful heart is a happy heart.     As I was editing photos today I was thinking about Thanksgiving and the pilgrims' first Thanksgiving dinner that my second-grade class reenacted on the stage of an old gym with the slippery brown linoleum floor.  A long table was placed on the stage and set with food.  I'm not sure if every student dressed in pilgrim clothing, but … [Read more...]

  Hello, friends!  Thanks for coming by! Here we are... the night before the BIG election. Are you excited, fearful, or just can't wait to be done with it all? Although I am fairly opinioned regarding all things political (thank you 9th grade Civics), I'm not here to tell you how to vote.  However, if you've been struggling with whom you should cast your vote, maybe this simple list will help you... 4 Criteria to Consider Character ~ Conviction ~ Competence ~ Culture Sunday, our pastor did not even hint at who to vote for, but he did help us to consider the above through the filter of being a … [Read more...]

  Words... Have you noticed that there's been a war of words, especially on Facebook? Granted Facebook isn't REALLY our personal space.... but it feels personal to me. It's where I keep up with my nieces... one lives in Connecticut and the other in Arizona. It's where I keep up with the friends I've made in New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and beyond. It's also a work space for me... there are the blogging groups I belong to and there's my biz page for my blog, too.     Words, memes, and other images have invaded the space where I usually I look forward to seeing … [Read more...]

  As we finished up supper the other day I was surprised to look out the window and see how dark it was.  The next morning, the sun didn't seem to break the horizon until after 8 a.m.  With hardly a notice... we slipped into the season of darkness. There's another kind of darkness that we all seem to have slipped into as well.... it's the darkness of our world.  It's almost palpable.  I'm sure you'll agree that the darkness is pervasive on social media, especially in regards to the upcoming election. It might come through fear of the future.... anger and disagreement about candidates or issues... … [Read more...]

  Hello, friends!  Thanks for coming by! We had the most beautiful fall weekend.  My latest post will give you a glimpse of how we enjoyed it.  I hope you had a lovely weekend creating memories, and enjoying the fleeting beauties of the season. As we approach the "season" of gratitude, I thought I'd share this great gratitude quote I ran across.... When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude. --Gilbert K. Chesterton Great words to live by.  Yes? If you missed stopping by this past week I shared some extraordinary goodness on … [Read more...]

  Last spring I picked up a part time sewing gig.  A friend of a friend has a small Etsy shop and wholesale business and she needed someone to help with some of the sewing and stuffing of pillows.  I was happy to help out and the extra money comes in handy too.   Our little workshop is on the second floor over a little retail business. It's fun listening to the hustle and bustle down on the street and in the shop as I work.   It's a fairly bright space with two super tall windows and a couple of skylights which makes it quite pleasant. We positioned my sewing machine right in front of … [Read more...]

    Today I'm going to be raw and real. The kind of real that reveals... The kind of real that talks about those things we hide in our heads and our hearts... The kind of real that hurts.   The calendar turned to August. It's a long hot month and usually more dry than humid. Except, this year. All the pent up humidity of the past several years had been stored up and finally... this August... released into the atmosphere. It was suffocating. Suffocating... Pretty much describes how I feel.   August is the month of my birth. Though I was due at … [Read more...]

  On this Memorial Day we remember. Bravery. Fear. Love. Hope. Selflessness. But, most of all we remember the ones who gave it all up for this thing we call Freedom.   Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13   Thank you soldier. Thank you for your sacrifice.  For your ultimate gift of love.   And thank you dear one for the courage it took to give that last hug and kiss.     Oh how blessed we are to have liberty in this time and in this place we call "the land of the free and the home of the … [Read more...]

  Grace. Daily Grace. I don't know about you... but I need an abundance of grace to get through the day. Good thing God's grace is constant and overflowing.     What about my grace? Sometimes I am not all that gracious. It's hard to understand how we can be given so much and then turn around and be stingy with what we have. I'm not talking about stingy with stuff... I'm talking about stingy with grace.     How are you in the patience department? Me?  Not so good.  In fact, my husband often points it out to me.  In a good way which … [Read more...]