Lunching on the Ordinary

Well, this is interesting! I’ve started this week’s note several times, and I just can’t get one I’ve already published out of my mind. So … change of plans and here you go! Enjoy the encouragement – perhaps with a side of Ruffle chips and sweet potato salad? Some days it feels like I’ve sat down at a summer picnic, enjoying a juicy cheeseburger (grass-fed beef done medium well) with ketchup and onion and relish, paired up with Ruffle chips, sweet potato salad (not too much mustard),

A Good Summer Plan

This little note is one of my favorites – an oldie but goodie! It says exactly what’s on my heart this week. Blessings on your summer days, my friend. I’m so grateful for our connection here! 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

Too Old? I Think Not.

The podcast host was interviewing a young author about her new book. I was casually listening while driving to the store, wondering if this author’s book would be a new reason for Amazon Prime to come to our home. But then I experienced a “You’ve got to be kidding me!” moment while completely forgetting about her book. The young woman being interviewed was talking about her high school experience — 15 years earlier. Did you catch that? She was in high school 15 years ago. She coyly

Tim McGraw Commitment

As I’m listening to the podcast, I say to myself out loud … Who does that?! And then I respond (to myself out loud) … Tim McGraw does. Country music superstar Tim McGraw was being interviewed about his book, “Grit and Grace.” Y’all, get this. (I used the word “y’all” because Tim is country and it just seemed appropriate to sound like I knew a bit about southern stuff.) Anyway … When he’s on tour, he and his band and crew have a semi-trailer that hauls only

Add the Ink 🎆 Splash the Color

I’ve been looking at the cursor on a blank page, wondering how to put into words what’s tossing like a salad in my brain. Let me give it a try… Sometimes I wonder if my notes here – my invitations to re-think or ponder God-things or laugh at life moments – are deep enough. I wonder if my own faith and lack of faith have the credibility to talk about such important things like God and Grace and Forgiveness. At the same time, my heart wants to

Losing a Tuesday

Sometimes – many times – I write these notes to remind myself of something important. And all of the time, I write to encourage you. This is my annual reminder to both of us to keep noticing. To experience life, not just observe it. And to remember that every day matters. It was seven years ago this month that I lost most of Tuesday. One moment I was doing lunges and burpees at the YMCA, and the next moment everything just got … lost. I have no

Parkas and Girlfriends

Winter is over in Minnesota. Can I hear an Amen! (At least we hope it is. Let’s all knock on a piece of wood that’s no longer snow-covered, shall we?) The thick Michelin-woman parkas are stuffed into the basement closets, stocking caps with the cute ear flaps are shoved into the Tupperware organizers, and our socks … well, they’re still in reachable distance because our toes are adjusting to being wrapped in sunlight and warm air and need a bit of tender care. We are pros at

Don’t Give Up. Have Faith.

I wonder what kept some of our faith heroes from rolling their eyes at God. Like when God told Noah, “So make yourself an ark…” I think I would have muttered a quick, “Wait. What? You’ve got to be kidding me.” But “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” And when God appeared to Abram, who with his wife Sarai so badly wanted a child. God told him to “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them…So shall your offspring

It’s Time to Dance

This is for you. If your perfect evening out is a gathering of dozens of friends who are all your bestie, where no one worries about how late it is, and you get absolutely giddy about the chance to engage in several conversations at the same time because, you know, there’s so much to talk about … this note is for you. And if your perfect evening out is gathering with a few close friends to catch up and laugh, where small talk quickly turns to heart-felt

Amazing. That’s You.

It’s so predictable. And it always makes me smile. The Wheel of Fortune TV show. When the contestants share who is with them in the audience, there are descriptors attached to the name with his or her role. The spouses are always described as… My incredibly beautiful wife, Helen. My amazing husband, Floyd. They are always, always, always described as beautiful or handsome or wonderful, etc. Gushingly. In that nervous moment with millions of eyes on them, it’s not enough to just introduce them by name. They

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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