Do you remember that old saying, a smile is a frown turned upside down? The other day I found myself sitting at a stoplight and noticed that my mouth was set in a frown. What?! At that moment I realized my happiness had gotten up and left. If I'm in charge of my happiness... how did that happen? Before I answer that question, I need to ask... What is your happiness quotient? On a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the state of supreme happiness... where do you sit? Are you happy with that spot? I don't think I'm the only one who has … [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...]
On this absolutely perfect fall afternoon, we took two neighbor kids on a hike. There was so much delight in discovery that Sarah said, "This place is a palace!" Not 100 steps from our home and we were in another world under the canopy of oaks and beeches. We took them on an incredible adventure... it was if we entered Narnia. As we left the palace of the pines we entered a mighty swath of dune grasses. At 6 and 10 their imaginations were in full force. "Where are we?" we heard multiple times. And multiple times we answered. Not a … [Read more...]
Have you ever had a problem with yellow-jacket wasps at your house? At our first house we had ground bees one summer... but never bees or wasps IN our house. For the past few months, we've been living in an apartment. It's in a nice wooded area and we see turkeys and deer across the road regularly. That's how I like to enjoy wildlife... with a little distance between us. So, when I got stung on my foot in my apartment a few months ago, I immediately let the owners know, and informed them that there was a nest in the back outside wall. We later discovered that there was … [Read more...]
Have you ever wondered how to pray for someone? Maybe someone in your family or a close friend has gone off to college for the first time. How do you pray for him? Maybe your friend is in a new job... or maybe they are in an old job that has challenges every way they turn. How do you pray for her? There are so many scenarios. Someone needs prayer and you're at a loss. I have a prayer for you to pray and it comes straight from the Bible.... This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; that you will see … [Read more...]
That got your attention. Good grief... we're taught not to shout. So how in the world will shouting bring happiness? Good question. These verses from the Book of Psalms opened my eyes... But make everyone rejoice who puts his trust in you. Keep them shouting for joy because you are defending them. Fill all who love you with your happiness. For you bless the godly man, O Lord; you protect him with your shield of love. Psalm 5:11-12 The psalmist pleads with God to "make" all who trust in Him rejoice. That's such an odd thing. Doesn't it seem like … [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 is the 15th Anniversary of one of the most dreadful days in American history... 9/11. So much has been written and read... I don't know that I have much to add other than my personal story and my personal call to action. My story is one of a distant bystander. That fateful morning I had a lazy morning at home. I had the day off and was lounging in my pj's, reading the latest home decor magazines, enjoying a cup of tea, and watching the "Today Show" on TV. It was a most spectacular day with the brightest blue sky and I had plans to get outside and enjoy every … [Read more...]
This week was a double header. No there wasn't any baseball involved. However, I did enjoy two celebrations in one week. And a really big one too. Tuesday was my birthday and then five days later we celebrated our anniversary. It's a big milestone kind of anniversary. One for which you gather your friends for a party or take a cruise or celebrate by purchasing a new fun car. I'm sure you know our budget isn't capable of even thinking of such extravagances. So we did little things... like split a yummy pretzel sandwich and soda at cute … [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...]
If August had an official flower, I think it might be the sunflower. They stand tall.. stretching for the sun... bravely holding their seedy heads high. As our days grow shorter and the sun sinks lower in the sky each day, the sunflowers with rays of brilliant yellow brighten our spirits. How is it that we see emotion in the sunflowers? Do you think we just might be transferring our feelings? I know, it's a crazy thought, but we anthropomorphize animals and birds all the time, so I guess doing that with flowers isn't too far-fetched. Maybe we see happiness … [Read more...]
We live along the Lake Michigan shoreline. In less than 5 minutes we can wriggle our toes in the sand... watch the stillness or the crash of the waves... and stand or kneel in awe of the colors of the setting sun. After being away for so many years, each night that we could, we'd go to the beach to watch the sunset and stand in absolute awe. Humbled that our Creator would night after night "paint" the. most. gorgeous. colors across the sky and place thin and thick clouds to catch the colorful hues of the setting sun. Our hearts were grateful. Some nights we would start … [Read more...]
Let me tell you about the day I settled for second best... It wasn't pretty. It was one of those days. You know... the kind where you take one cookie... and before you know it... you've had six. I've never thought of myself as an emotional eater. But SIX cookies?!! Cookies don't make me feel better... in fact... they give me a pain in my stomach. My stomach was NOT designed for SIX cookies. (Six peanut M&M's, maybe.) So why did I eat them? Because at the moment... their sweet and chocolaty goodness gave me a brief … [Read more...]
The sky was the bluest blue when we placed our tattered windowpane check bed sheet just inches from the reach of the waves and sparkling waters at our nearby beach. After a sandal was placed on each corner of the sheet, I dropped the large beach bag and then my body onto the sheet. I sat there, digging my toes into the dampness of the sand. This little beach excursion had been planned. Though there have been plenty of decent beach days to take advantage of this summer... the forecast was for a picture perfect day and we didn't want to miss it. At least not until I … [Read more...]
Like it or not... growth comes through hard times. When you've been knocked down it takes courage to get up and start over again. And then there is that thing called fear. It's paralyzing... it kills your hope and dreams. Whether you've been knocked down, overcome with fear, or are in the midst of a hard journey... you need encouragement. You need to know the secret for getting back up... having the courage to stand strong... and the confidence to believe for tomorrow. So what's the secret? My husband and I have been going … [Read more...]
Do you talk to yourself? I remember working with a gal who talked to herself. More often than not, I would stop what I was doing because I thought she was talking to me. And then she would say, "I'm just talking to myself." Usually, she was walking herself through the steps of her tasks. It seems kind of quirky doesn't it? However... developing a lifestyle of talking to oneself isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact... talking to yourself can be a good thing. If you read Psalms, you'll notice that some of the psalmists (writers) did the very same thing. Why am I so … [Read more...]
