We have all been there. We make plans, some of us down to the last detail, and then “something” happens. Then we whine and complain about how our plans were ruined, our day is ruined, and so on. Were our plans really “ruined” or just not what we had planned? It happened to our family three days in a row over this Easter weekend. Saturday we went shopping for new Easter shoes and clothes. Plus, we still hadn’t bought any…
Do you often feel like you are simply, “winging it” as a parent? I think most of us have felt that way. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can parent with purpose with a little discipline and creativity. I always wanted to be a mom, a great mom at that, but I didn’t know how. I had not seen any examples of a great mom. My grandma was great, but she wasn’t my mom. When I became the…
Two Minutes of Thought: Some of my favorite gifts are handmade gifts. Whether it is a beautiful wood headboard, a hot-pad made by my best friend’s mother, or a hand-print ornament, they are special. I think about the time, love, and thought put into that gift. That person gave me a piece of them; a creation of theirs. These gifts are priceless!! Now imagine that the God of the universe, The Creator of all that is, The Kings of kings…
It’s our wedding anniversary. I have been thinking about the week surrounding our wedding. As I look back, those seven days seem so revealing of what was to come. I wonder if we had known what the next 15 years would entail would we still have said, “I do”. Let’s take a walk down memory lane of that week. December 16th, 2002: It is four days before our wedding. We were making plans and simply doing life that day. Then…
Today we had our annual Thanksgiving food giveaway that we call, One Big Feed. I don’t know where the name came from. It was called that long before we started attending this church. I guess it is called that because even though we have a food bank that serves thousands each month, this event is our biggest, one-day food exchange. Yes, it is an exchange. No, we do not charge money. It is free to all that show up. But…
Wednesday I found myself in the local emergency room. My temperature was 104 and my heart rate was 124. It was obvious my body was in pain and fighting something bad. I thought I had passed all of the kidney stones throughout the past week, yet something was still wrong. I remember walking into the ER holding on to my husband. My best friend and her husband along with our youngest two children were in the waiting room. I do…
I love to read. I have a lot of books. Many of them are the old, unabridged classics. Books like Tom Sawyer, Where The Red Fern Grows, and War and Peace. I have read Thoreau, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and so many others. I enjoy finding old books with the tattered covers and dog-eared pages. The smell of a time long gone. People are a lot like books. Some are easy to read, many not so much. Some you instantly know you…
As most of the world knows, the entire state of Florida was affected by Hurricane Irma in one way or another on September 11th, 2017. As Floridians, this wasn’t our first hurricane. Friday, September 1st, was the beginning of the craziness. I work for Publix Supermarkets and know just how crazy it gets, quickly. Each day seemed like Christmas Eve without the love of the holiday. Even though, at this early date, Irma was projected to hit the east coast,…
For the next 30 seconds I want you to close your eyes and picture a person who has hurt you, angered you, or offended you. Remember their words and actions. Let all that anger come to the forefront of your mind. How long did it take before you noticed something? Did you notice your posturing? Did you notice your breaths become more shallow? Did you notice your heart rate increase and the sweat dripping from under your arms? How well…
Before you get your blood boiling, give me a couple of minutes of your time. My husband, Mark, and I were sitting in a small group discussing generosity. We were to go around and ask if each person felt they were generous and how. After sharing how we felt we were generous, a woman turned to Mark and I and said, “So, you are tithers!?” Before I could open my mouth, Mark replied so matter-of-fact, “No!” I am certain I…