How should we best handle the holidays when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease? The calendar reminds us that Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away and soon after comes Christmas. As much as we enjoy the family time, the abundance of good food and the reminders to be thankful – we also […]
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It is not an easy place to be – this no man’s land of unanswered prayers and constantly asked questions. For almost a year now, I have lived in a sort of limbo – questioning whether my role in life has somehow messed with my soul. It is not a question of what I do,
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Inside the birthday card from my mom was a check for twenty dollars. But as I read the card and looked at the check, I noticed something surprising and terrible. Almost immediately, I beat my fists on the kitchen counter and began to sob. Mom had tried to sign her name on the check, but
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On this blog, I have mentioned the importance of my deck. Because I love nature and the fresh beauty of the outdoors, my deck becomes a sanctuary – the place where I most often meet with God. On my deck, cardinals chirp a chorus from their beautiful repertoire. Blue jays squawk while squirrels run across
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Sitcoms and movies often vilify the role of the mother-in-law as in “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Monster-In-Law.” But in my situation, that stereotype never materialized. I was not at odds with my mother-in-law. Although we disagreed on politics and how to raise children; we found common ground in our respect for small towns, the Oklahoma
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It is the season of mums – that glorious coloring of perennial happiness that I plant and nurture each year. These are the plants I prune in the spring when everything else yearns to bloom. Because I know that when late September and early October creep onto my calendar, these will be the plants that
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To be chosen as one of the featured authors at the Kansas Book Festival seemed both a humbling and inspiring event. Years ago, I toured the capitol building in Topeka and was impressed by its grandeur, the gold and bronze shining off light fixtures. The acoustics in the hallways. That rotunda with its dizzying majesty.
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Hands raised as the students answered my challenge, “What modifiers can we add to these nouns and verbs? How creative can you be?” Young faces, not yet wrinkled, with no worry lines between eyebrows. Fresh voices not yet affected by too many years or hard living. I looked at them and found hope. Most of
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Because the tagline for my blog is “Finding hope when life unravels,” lately I’ve pondered a bit about how to find hope. Perhaps it is a response to the death of Robin Williams and how fragile life can be. Why couldn’t Robin find hope? How do any of us define and pursue hope? Besides writing
Out on my deck, I consider the last gasp of summer – this season I enjoy with its plantings and harvests, its colors and textures. In my gratitude journal, I record the sights and sounds so that in the cold misery of winter – I will not forget what my heart is now thankful for.
Gratitude Attitudes Read More »