Picking a “word for the year” has always been a challenge for me. As I’ve considered an annual word, I’ve never gotten clear on if it’s a word/action that I should focus on, or want to focus on, or if it just seems like a cool word. Then January would roll around…February…and I’d still be thinking about the word. Sigh. But this year, I really wanted to identify a focus. A truth that would lay a foundation for how I live my life in this particular season. How I move forward with my business … in this particular season. And without Continue Reading
Rest. Take a Break.
I’m starting a new workout program. Have mercy. It involves a lot of fancy steps and it moves faaaaast. I spend most of the time trying to stay on my feet, watch the online trainer, listen to the instructions, and breathe. There is nothing pretty about my performance. The program only lasts 20 minutes, but I’m exhausted when it’s done. All I want to do is cry. It’s hard to find the rhythm when the exercises change so fast, and the online coach Just. Keeps. Talking. (I know he’s trying to motivate us, but oh my word. His incessant Continue Reading
When Life Gets Messy
Easy. Carefree. I think about those words and in my mind I see a sandy beach with gentle waves lapping, a cool breeze that doesn’t mess up my hair, bright sunshine that warms my skin, and a good book with a happy ending. Yup. I sure could be content there. If only life was one big sunny beach. Real life happens and sometimes my hair gets mussed and my skin sunburns and there’s not a happy ending in the book. There are moments when I think, “This isn’t what I signed up for.” My sisters and I take turns staying with our mom. Continue Reading
Let’s Go and See!
I wonder how it felt to be a shepherd that holy night thousands of years ago. The night an angel appeared to them as they leaned on their walking sticks, checking their sling shots, while standing in sheep doo-doo. We have to believe that when “the glory of the Lord shone around them,” things got pretty bright, right? Can’t you just see them squinting, shading their eyes, while trying to figure out what they were protecting their sheep from? Shaking like crazy in their sandals! And then the angel’s voice… Do not be afraid. I love Continue Reading
Something Wonderful is About to Happen
I’m always surprised when I don’t die when I’m exercising. Especially when it involves burpees. I don’t like burpees, and I don’t believe our bodies were meant to do them. My morning exercise time is only 30-40 minutes, but the way I carry on, you’d think that I’d been at it for 37 hours with no break. (And I can’t begin to count the number of times that I flop to the floor, and dramatically whisper through parched lips as if it’s my last breath, I caaaaan’t!) I have forgotten … Exercising is a temporary event. For 40 minutes I Continue Reading
Putting Life Together Again
Who on earth thought this was a great little jingle to read to children? Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, Couldn’t put Humpty together again. Really. It’s not cute. It’s scary. {I also have a problem with Little Jack Horner who sat in a corner intending to eat a whole pie. He stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum and decided that eating a pie with his fingers made him a good boy. Good grief.} But back to Humpty Dumpty… We usually imagine Humpty Continue Reading
My Finguh Hurts … Bring Grace
He was a cute little guy with curly red hair wearing a flannel shirt and little-boy jeans. He lay face down on the bottom platform of the Target cart, dragging his chubby hands along on the floor, singing a song he was making up in the moment as his mom moved through the produce section. All was well with his world. Until ... One of those cute little fingers got pinched under the wheel of the cart. Then all was not well with his world. He rolled off the bottom of the cart, jumped onto his feet, lifted his finger into the air Continue Reading
No complaining … really?
There are some verses in the Bible that make me scratch my head and murmur, Really? Did you really mean to write that? I’ve been studying one of those verses the last few days … “Do everything without complaining or arguing…” (Philippians 2:14) There must have been an “… except when …” or “… unless this happens …” that was somehow omitted, right? Because … Thanksgiving family get-togethers. Long shopping lines and tired clerks on the Friday after Thanksgiving. And the refs calling the football game are clearly wearing Continue Reading
“In Everything” Includes the Dentist Visit
The dentist’s office is not my happy place. Not even in the same zip code. Or hemisphere. When the hygienist checks my blood pressure and tells me it’s a little high, I try and act surprised. She doesn’t know that my anxiety is about ready to make my head explode the minute they wrap that little napkin around my neck. This week when I went in for my regular exam, I had a big ‘ol cold sore on my upper lip. You can probably guess how comfortable that was going to be when they’re stretching my mouth open, right? This very sweet Continue Reading
If Only…
Oh, if only… Sigh. There were those moments. Moments when I didn’t say words that were kind. Moments when I was more concerned with what others might think about my opinion, than with what needed to be said. Moments that would have welcomed a Do-Over. If only… …I had asked myself if my words were loving before they left my mouth. …I had chosen to be inclusive rather than exclusive. …I had considered the other person’s heart instead of my own insecurities. The moments that can so quickly strangle my peace were not “big Continue Reading
Lives That Mold Us
I’ve been talking to the TV. Good grief. Typically, my one-sided conversations are in response to … … politicians who are yelling at me – telling me what to believe. … the cable news shows on-air talent sitting on couches telling me how I am supposed to think. … advertisers who spend more time telling me about their drug’s side effects than the help it might offer. I’m just tired of people yelling. People who don’t know me, telling me what to believe, think, and do. You too? Although my little sarcastic comments and Continue Reading
Learning from the Farmers
I learned it first in farming. Farmers and families coming together when the fields were ready for harvest and the rain was coming tomorrow as sure as the sun comes up. Trucks and combines moving across dusty gravel roads in single file and descending on someone’s farm to help them get their crop in. The John Deeres and Massey Fergusons caravanning to the next farm with ears tuned in to weather reports while turning on lights to break through the dusk, and men and women in overalls praying for just a couple more hours. People came Continue Reading
You are awesome!
I wonder about the person who wrote the nursery rhyme, “Humpty Dumpty.” What do you suppose was going on in his life that prompted him to write a riddle about a personified egg? An egg who fell down from sitting on a wall, broke into pieces, and couldn’t get himself back together again. (Although nothing in the rhyme states that Humpty was an egg, I’ve never seen a picture of a stalk of broccoli sitting on the wall. The egg thing works for me.) Then there’s Jack and Jill. They were simply walking up a hill to get a pail of water. But Continue Reading
A Soft Place To Land
Man, oh man. It was one of those nightmares that you just can’t wake up from. That night, mine didn’t include falling off cliffs and people weren’t chasing me with chainsaws. This bad dream seemed more “every day.” In my nightmare that never seemed to end, I was at a conference in a very large convention center. I had gotten separated from my group and I was frantically wandering hallways and stairwells to try and find someone I knew. My purse had been stolen along with my cell phone. I just could not get my bearings. To add Continue Reading
Make a Fresh Start
I love do-overs. If I don’t like what I’m writing, I hit the delete key and “do-over.” If my hair is having a bad day, my brush winds its way through and creates a “do-over.” If my chicken dish doesn’t turn out…well, I just throw that out. Wouldn’t it be freeing if we could “do-over” or throw out some of life’s moments that make us cringe? Stupid decisions we made. Hurtful comments we shared. Hot pants worn. “What on earth were you thinking, girl?” None of us are immune to creating silly, awkward, or embarrassing Continue Reading
Breathing Deeply
Oh, the plans! The goals! The lists! The git-er-done before the sun comes up focus! Nothing can stop me! And then … OVERWHELM. The word itself creates a feeling, doesn’t it? Especially the “whelm” part. I feel my arms filled with large, heavy, grey rocks that weigh me down from the muscles in my neck, through my back, and into my calves. They’re boulders, actually. More weight than I can realistically carry. I keep trying to move them to … someplace … and I don’t consider that perhaps I could take just one at a time. Too many Continue Reading
The Season of White Legs
It’s that season… The one that comes every year when the snow is gone in Minnesota. The Season of White Legs. I haven’t gotten around to creating a bucket list yet. But if I had one, you can bet “tan legs” would be on mine. Every year I hope…wish…dream…and wonder if a miracle will surprise me and pigment will show up in my legs. Hasn’t happened in a real long time. Even when a farmer’s tan appears on my arms and face… My legs stay white. Pure white. Not even egg shell white. White legs are a constant in my Continue Reading
Today Will be a Great Day
OK. So here’s the deal. From my heart to yours. Isn’t it time we stop saying stupid stuff to ourselves? (“You really are a mess, aren’t you? Uggh. Nothing will ever change—why even try? I’m just tired of everything. Nothing good is ever going to happen again. This mess will never get fixed.”) Stupid stuff that isn’t true and isn’t helpful. Instead, how about if we start speaking life and hope into our lives? We can do that, you know. Even those of us who are Midwestern Scandinavians who tread lightly when it comes to lifting Continue Reading
The Anchor Holds
The day started out pretty well. My Bible and prayer time in the morning was encouraging and meaningful. My exercising got done and I felt the results (ooftah). And then when I got into the day, I started … roaming. Wandering around the house. Up and down, room to room, opening and closing the fridge door, flipping through books, scrolling through my phone. There was work to be done, but my mind would not get focused. My thoughts felt like the little steel ball that flies around a pinball machine, hitting, bouncing, not sure where Continue Reading
Time for the Annual Switch
Listen! Do you hear it? It’s a melodic strain that sounds like humming birds bringing lightness, sweetness and gleefulness. It will get louder and even brighter over the next few days...you'll hear harmony, giggles, energy, and emotion. If you live in the Midwest, throw open your windows and lean around the screen door and listen for it. If you aren’t a blizzard - road construction - mosquito resident, tilt your head towards Minnesota and turn your ears our way. You’ll hear it…listen for it… It’s the sound of Girlfriends Continue Reading
Like Playing Jazz
Good grief. I took them all so very seriously… The piano competitions. (You’d think that my entire life depended on playing Für Elise without a mistake.) Months of practicing all boiled down to five minutes in a noise-less room that echoed when you pulled the piano bench forward on the wood floor, empty except for a baby grand piano, an oblong table with judges sitting behind it on folding chairs with pencils raised, and a few extra chairs for the very anxious parents. The competition. The judges. The nerves. The desire and need to Continue Reading
Time for Something New?
On most days, it’s just a simple pair of workout leggings. You know. The spandex kind that I should never ever ever wear in public with a short top. The kind that holds everything in tight and you actually feel like there is no more fat to jiggle. That kind of simple leggings. But last Tuesday morning, those leggings became a little more than that. They were a statement to myself. You’ve probably heard that we’ve had a verrrrryy long winter here in Minnesota. And as I write this little note in mid-April, we’re waiting for another Continue Reading
My Joanna Gaines Moments
Awe-struck probably best describes my reaction. I was watching Fixer-Upper, the episode when they develop their new restaurant, the Magnolia Table. What can Joanna Gaines NOT do? She was designing the floor mural, creating the flow of the space, picking out the perfect palette of colors, deciding on the table shapes, and creating special decorating touches that made it look ... like Joanna Gaines did it. And then. Then she started developing the menu. Aaaand creating the recipes. And deciding how to use kale and strawberry honey Continue Reading
Let’s Have Some Fun!
It’s the weekend! So many errands… An endless to-do list… And the house…well, a bit of cleaning seems a necessity. Yeah. There’s stuff that needs to get done. And … How about this … Can we take just a few moments to just Sit. Or Play. Or Dance instead? Are you finding that it’s really easy to take life a bit too seriously during this “Ha-Ha- It’s-Not- Spring-Yet” month? Me too. Good grief. I’m so ready to just lighten up. Throw off the heavy coat. Box up the mukluks. And then cut the list of to-dos in half. Let’s do Continue Reading
When Life is Too Much
So. You know those moments when you look around you and wonder, “I didn’t think my life would look like this?” Those moments matter. Why? Because they offer the opportunity to realize you have strength you didn’t know you had. That “good” and joy and fulfillment can co-exist with messy. And God always shows up. My sisters and I are very grateful that we can work out our schedules so we can take turns staying with our mom. Her not-very- serious-yet dementia challenges still require us to be with her 24/7. And every once in a Continue Reading
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