During the sixth month of my pregnancy, I waddled outside. The June sunshine brightened my colorful zinnias, so I parked my lawn chair beside the garden and carefully arranged myself within its plastic womb. Six months. Three more to go. We had made it past the danger zone — those first 12 weeks when this …
The pastor pounded his opinion into our souls. “Death for the believer is a beautiful thing.” He was wrong. Sure — the aftermath of death — that entrance into heaven is a beautiful result of the life of faith. We can only imagine how it will feel to be free of pain and stress. But …
Many of us learned the meaning of the word “triage” because we watched M*A*S*H. Every week, the doctors and nurses on our favorite TV show worked through the triage episode. Some patients could wait a while. Others were taken immediately to surgery while several unfortunates received last rites from Father Mulcahy. The working definition of …
One of the guarantees in life is that people WILL hurt us. Whether it’s a misunderstanding or a response from a toxic personality, someone will ding us. And – whether we want to admit it or not – we will hurt others. So what do we do when those fringes of communication break down? How …
Several people in my world have recently mentioned their need for rest. They admit they are trying to find an oxymoronic balance – to intentionally work at resting. My usual response is to seek the true meaning of a word, to discover the hidden secret and find motivation. And to be honest, I admit to …
In her best-selling book, Moving On, Sarah Ban Breathnach lists the seven senses. The usual five we know: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. But then she adds knowledge and wonder. A working definition of “wonder” is “Surprise mingled with admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected or inexplicable.” As we age, I think we can …
My mother taught me to love reading. After the farm chores were completed, the supper dishes washed and the homework finished — everyone in our family sat down to read. This discipline meant we drove to the library every week and checked out stacks of books. Then an important milestone changed my reading habits. When …
Such a disappointment! As I scrolled through my Facebook posts, I saw the vitriol. Several people I respect had posted ugly words against the congresswomen dressed in white for the State of the Union address. Giant black X’s on their faces. Those women were dressed in white to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th …
In the middle of supper, my son turned toward me and asked, “What do you think of my generation?” An honest question, laced with hope that my answer might satisfy or invite open debate. What do I think of his millennial generation, these precious ones born to Baby Boomers during the years of 1981-1996? “I …
We barely knew each other, the guy in the adjoining cubicle and I. As a mere temp worker, I did what I was told, edited the website, made few friends. Tried to survive as a single mom in the corporate jungle. Doug was a full-time guy with plenty of responsibilities, a loving wife and four …