Putting Life Together Again

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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

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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?

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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

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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…

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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

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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

You are awesome!

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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

Breathing Deeply

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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

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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

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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

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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

Like Playing Jazz

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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?

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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

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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!

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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

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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

Opening Prayer

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Hi, Friends. I’ve just started reading Dallas Willard’s book, “Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23.” Wow. His words are reminding me of how little I expect from this amazing God. He is a generous God, and I too frequently live in a state of scarcity. Dallas wrote a poem that begins this book. It spoke right into my heart. I hope you can find a few minutes to let its message linger in your soul. Lord Jesus Christ, We are so thankful to you that you have said, ‘Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s Continue Reading

Live Your Story Well

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Wouldn’t it be cool if we each had a ghostwriter writing our life story? If all we had to do was wake up and follow the script that was written for us? The ideal day script filled with only happy scenes that tells us exactly what to do, where to go, what to wear, how to act, what to eat, who to see… you get the picture, right? But, nope. We write our own stories. We are the playwright, producer, stagehand, director, costume designer, and lead character in the story we write each day. (I think “costume designer” is the role that Continue Reading

Cheerlessness Is Not Invited

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And, although the way be cheerless, We will follow, calm and fearless. Really? Is this what I want my faith walk to look like? Cheerless? I don’t think so. I mean, that is just downright…sad. Those two lines from a hymn written in the 1700’s bug me. Can living a life of faith be hard?  Yes. Can there be days of discouragement?  Yes. But cheerless?  No. Cheerless seems so hopeless.  Despondent. Grumpy. I imagine people wearing grey clothes, heavy boots, plodding down a grey sidewalk on a grey day, with no smiles. No Continue Reading

Everybody Has a Secret

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It was a birthday to remember. Celebrating all seven of my years on this earth, we drove to Fargo, ND to be on the Captain Jim show on KXJB TV. My sisters and I and a few girlfriends giggled and fussed and tried not to wrinkle our dresses as we drove the 52 miles to meet the man who was captain of the plywood ship, the Sink Knot. A regular part of the show was for Captain Jim to interview birthday boys and girls from the “ship.” I remember how excited it was to be on TV. When it was my turn as the birthday girl, he asked me about my Continue Reading

Jesus Sees, Feels, and Meets Your Needs

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You see a small child sitting in the middle of the Target aisle. Hunched in a ball, his knees at his chin, his little fists are rubbing his teary eyes.  He’s lost. You can feel how scared his heart is. You protectively kneel next to him, one arm on his shoulder, while someone sends a message out on the PA system. The woman in front of you in the check-out line looks like she hasn’t slept in days. You see her tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. The child sitting in her cart doesn’t stop crying. And then the clerk says she is Continue Reading

Life is Too Short to Wait

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So, this will be new. Different. My perspective has shifted. And it’s a game-changer for me. You know how sometimes that “Ah-ah!” moment strikes you like a lightning bolt slashing through thunderclouds? That deep insight or brilliant idea seems to smack you on the side of your head and you can hardly believe how smart you suddenly became. And then there are those “Ahhhh…of course…” moments that sneak up on you. That deep insight or brilliant idea slides right alongside you and you can only pause and wonder why it took you so long Continue Reading

Reset and Recalculate

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My energy tank was on empty and I was coasting on fumes. “Frumpy” and “worn out” were self-describing words that I heard repeatedly in my mind. Muscles ached, and neither “fresh” nor “radiant” described my complexion. I felt ... old. And then I heard an interview on the radio that sent me into a “You’ve got to be kidding me!” moment. The young woman was talking about her high school experience — 15 years earlier. She coyly said, “That was when I was young! Let’s not talk about how many years ago that was!” And then she added a Continue Reading

Unclogging Drains and Hearts

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The maintenance guy running the “snake” down mom’s kitchen sink to find the clog seemed to be having a very, very bad day … again. Bless his heart. It must be so uncomfortable living in such misery. Every single time we see him, he is upset. Angry. Blaming. His world is just … miserable. You’ve probably experienced the same consistently-bad-mood attitudes in your world. It shows up in so many ways, doesn’t it? The driver who cuts us off in the Fast Lane.  The grumpy sales clerk.  The co-worker who can’t find one good thing happening in Continue Reading

Living in Two Worlds

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Wanting desperately to be married. Wanting desperately not to be married. Desperate for a job. Desperate for a different job. Dreaming of a good night’s sleep. Dreaming of the ability to get out of bed. If we live in America, we have much to be thankful for. And…if we live in America, our individual needs and wants are unique. We live in two worlds. In one, we are (or should be) aware of the blessings showered on us every moment we take a breath. Our nights are not interrupted by the blinding lights of missiles hitting Continue Reading