My Purple Hot Pants

School Carnival. Climax, Minnesota. 1973. It was an annual event where a king and queen were crowned, teachers got soaked in the dunk-‘em booth, cheap game prizes were won in the gym, and the cake walk was celebrated in the cafeteria. I wore a purple hot pants outfit. With a purple headband. And purple tights. The outfit was…purple. Good grief. Whatever was I thinking. Back then, I felt like royalty. Royalty wearing purple. The look made me feel beautiful…even a little trim. Now, it’s one of those

Sheep Have it Made

Did you have a pet when you were younger? Perhaps a dog or a cat or a horse? I had a pig. His name was George. My sister, Julie, also had a pet pig. It was also named George. (Our dad’s name was George. I know. I don’t understand it either.) My goodness, how we worked at taking care of those pigs. One lesson I learned very quickly in my pet pig season was that it was very hard to keep it clean. When we prepared to

Soul-Soothing Plan for the Summer

It’s summer, and that means the heat index could be maxed out so everything is wilting, or it could be raining cats and dogs with thunder and lightning thrown into the mix. (I wonder who came up with the phrase raining cats and dogs. What does it even mean? OK. Back to our regularly scheduled program.) Just for a moment, let’s imagine that it’s a perfect, beautiful summer day. There’s no humidity so your hair isn’t frizzing or going limp. The sun is warm, but the cool

Slip Into Something Fun

Find the Fun Now

Well, hi there! I’ve got an idea for you, so … Slip off those slippers and slide into these sentences! [You: Why do I need to take off my slippers?] [Me: Because it might be fun to do something that feels a little different!] [Me Again: OK. Slipping out of slippers is not required but slip in here for a second.] YOU have this one big, beautiful life. It’s filled with habits and moments and celebrations and same-old, same-old. We do things that are comfortable, and we

Fairy Tales Can Get Messy

God heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. Psalm 147:3

I wonder how happy we would really be if we lived a fairy tale life. If we had the 18” waist, the long, thick hair that was sometimes styled into a perfect braid instead of a messy bun, perfect skin that didn’t know rosacea was a thing. If we walked through trees and wildflowers wearing tiny slippers that covered feet that didn’t have protruding bones or pinched toes, and an ankle-length dress that never got dirty, singing like an angel while butterflies perched on our shoulders. Well,

Your Whatever Matters

Whatever. It’s a word that sometimes comes from our mouth when we are … Tired of the conversation. Reluctant to discuss the conflict. Walking away. Oh my. I can see me in some of those whatever moments! Whatever usually comes out as a disappointed whisper when I’m walking away from the person who just doesn’t understand that what I’m saying is right and he is most definitely not right and I’m too tired to argue and the conversation just doesn’t seem worth the effort. My back is

You are Bringing It!

What one ray of sunshine can do

He was one of the happiest guys I’ve ever seen. He bounced into Culver’s Restaurant with a broad smile and eyes that said, Today is awesome! This guy ordered a sandwich and fries and the ice cream of the day. Before his order was up, he was already savoring his ice cream treat. He leaned against the counter, clearly enjoying every lick and spoonful of that Snickers Swirl. Fully engaged in the moment. He didn’t have earbuds in, but he obviously had some good tunes playing in

I Got This

This note of encouragement comes from something I wrote several years ago. Its message has been bouncing around in my head lately, and I knew it was something I wanted and needed to share with you. We were moving my friend when this was written. You know what that means … lots of ugh’s. Right? May your heart be encouraged! **** I’ve got this. If my nephew Scottie said it once, he said it a hundred times. I’ve got this. They were the best words of the

What We Can Do

There is something I can do. The shootings. Grieving families. Unimaginable tragedy. Uvalde, TX. Buffalo, NY. Laguna Woods, CA. The list continues. How can this happen? The answers just don’t come. It would be easy to turn off our TVs, shut out the news, and hope it doesn’t happen again in our community. And for some, it’s best to step away from the horror and the tragedy. We each have our own health boundaries. But, for most of us, we can’t ignore the reality. We shouldn’t. We

Same God, New Season

These truths are swirling through my brain today … God is a God of love. He hangs the stars. Instructs the sun to rise. Always keeps His promises. God is faithful. When I allow these reminders to frame my day, life feels better. Hope returns. Worries can’t compete and they move out. Do you know what I mean? Perhaps your feelings about life and this new spring/summer season are similar to mine? My heart and my muscles and my brain are ready for a pause. They need

Meet Gaye

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Consider me a city girl with a Midwest small town heart. I’m not afraid to poke fun at my own mishaps, and I love laughing out loud 'til it hurts! As a speaker, author, blogger, and Chief Encourager, I bring you a breath of fresh air on this journey we call life!

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