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 turned, and my hand is waving away the moment. Continue Reading
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 time to breathe. Rest. They are starved for Continue Reading
Are You a Wind Whipped Worrier?
Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, He has the patience of a saint. I was thinking about God today, and how patient He is with me, and I used that phrase to describe Him in my mind. But then I thought, well, that doesn’t make any sense. Because He IS a saint. Or, He’s the Saint of All The Saints. But maybe I shouldn’t call Him that because it takes away His divine nature. And then I started worrying that I was really getting my doctrine all mixed up and I was losing track of where I was going with that thought process, so I just went back to Continue Reading
Living My Encore
Grab a chair and slide it in close. Put a soft pillow on your lap to rest your arms on. Lean in. Imagine that I’m looking into your beautiful eyes as I whisper … God is good. He’s got good things planned for you. On February 21, 2018, I wrote myself a message on page 1,179 of my Bible: I am not too old. It’s written next to these words from Isaiah’s 43rd chapter: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and Continue Reading
The Grace of the Present
The Amazon Prime van drove up slowly through our unplowed streets and I heard the snow scrunch under its tires. I’d been waiting for this day and its delivery, and I caught its early morning arrival from my office window. Somewhere, behind the van’s dark blue siding and the light blue smiling arrow, was the book I’d preordered weeks ago. It had arrived. As the driver cautiously shuffled back down the driveway, I grabbed the box from the front porch with a quick Thanks so much! Before he’d put the van in drive, the package was on the Continue Reading
Keep Looking for Joy
Steve and I were roaming at one of our very favorite places – Barnes and Noble bookstore. Friday evening. Surrounded by books. Meandering with Steve. Well, not with Steve because we have very different tastes in books, and they are housed in different parts of this store so we just cross paths occasionally. We always set a time we’re going to meet back up, and we never keep that appointment. It’s always at least 20 minutes past that, because you know, it takes time to separate the keepers from those books that have to wait on the shelves a Continue Reading
A Netflix Drama from Long Ago
This story has all the components of a made-for-TV movie. Or a binge-worthy show on Netflix. Taking place centuries ago, the story highlights how God works in us and for us. How He meets us. It is not without drama, consequences, tension, forgiveness, mercy, and love. The principal male role is a patriarch of the Christian faith. A man of obedience and strength who looked beyond his own capabilities and relied on God’s power. And he was a man who made mistakes. His wife is the leading female in the credits. Childless and barren, Continue Reading
Permission to Perch
“Oh! The places you’ll go! You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.” * Words like that should be printed in multiple colors and fancy fonts with lots of loops, right? Dr. Seuss certainly knew how to use phrases to invite and encourage us to move forward. He was writing prompts for entering the new year that are more stimulating than most memes! (As a side note, his frequent use of exclamation points is one of the reasons he’s a favorite of mine.) And … Some of us may Continue Reading
Get Out There and Dance!
This little note of encouragement has had its fair share of fits and starts this week. The words I was stringing together just couldn’t get settled on that white sheet of paper on my computer screen. And my cursor blinked, frozen in one place, more often than it moved across the page. So, I stopped working so hard at it. What do I really want to say this week? The answer came so quickly that I knew my message needed to shift. So I shifted! Perhaps this shift is a result of having a blast at my nephew’s wedding this weekend. Continue Reading
It’s a Great Day for a Fresh Start
Girlfriend. Let’s talk. Your life? It’s a big deal. Your age? Yes, the numbers are moving up. That tiny voice somewhere in the back of your head that’s telling you it might be too late? Stop listening to it. It’s never too late to live a rich and full and joy-filled life. We can choose how we want to live, right? Feeling tired and frumpy and settling in there because it’s comfortable usually takes us to the pity party. (Don’t go there. It’s not much fun. The food will give you a stomach ache, the company is boring, there aren’t Continue Reading
Set the Temperature
You don’t need anyone to tell you that it’s a bit chilly across our country these days, right? The ice, the snow, and the wind chill are so “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Up here in tundra land (AKA Minnesota), it’s … well, it’s ooftah. Thinking about warmth (or the lack of it) and the temperature in our homes reminds me about living with mom. (Truth be told, there are a whole bunch of moments that remind me of mom.) I wrote this little note a couple years ago and decided to share it again this week. It’s reminding me to stop and ask Continue Reading
Behind Closed Doors
It’s one of my favorite books in the pure entertainment and fun category. And it's a memoir. (That's my always favorite category.) Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl's Guide to Becoming Miss Beadle, Mary X, and Me by Charlotte Stewart. I remember Charlotte Stewart as the actor who played Miss Beadle on Little House on the Prairie, and vaguely remember her as Betty Briggs from the Twin Peaks TV show. Miss Beadle was the delightful school marm that taught Laura and Mary in Walnut Grove, the single teacher who always presented Continue Reading
My New Book is Available!
Hello, friend! This is such an exciting day … “Getting My Ducks in a Row and Other Stories of Faith” is hot off the press and available to you! My heart is sending up balloons and confetti and my stomach is doing a lot of flip flops which is stirring up all the butterflies, because, you know, it’s a little scary putting your words out into the world. But I gotta’ tell you … I’m really excited about this book. You will laugh, nod your head as you recognize yourself in some of my life moments, and you will experience a refreshing Continue Reading
Let Something Go
Along with replacing the tank tops in our closet with sweatshirts and flannels, the Fall season invites us to cleanse, purge, start again, and “finish the year strong!” (I’m a little over the whole “finish the year strong” thing. I’m just focusing on finishing today strong. Because my “strong” needs a nap.) A change of season does seem to signal a time to reflect and consider what the next few months could look like though. A time to start again. And that can be healthy. But it’s easy to mess this up. How? We believe that Continue Reading
Give me Jesus
These words tumbled out of my heart today. I am praying them as a prayer for you, dear friend, as you live in your daily. Wherever you are and whatever you need . . . Jesus is there. Give Me Jesus When my worries are great, Remind me that you are greater. When everything seems so dark, Please bring me a ray of sunshine. When the world screams, Help me hold my tongue. When I feel forgotten, Nudge me and hold me tight. When life seems lonely, Please send me a friend. When my heart is sad, Show me the joy. When I want to Continue Reading
When Life Becomes the List
Last Sunday afternoon I picked up one of the books I’ve written and started to re-read it. I know. That sounds kind of weird, right? Maybe it was the horrible Vikings game that seemed to drain the life right out of me. (Come on, Vikings! What on earth?) And of course, there’s all the stuff going on in the world that invites us to believe that Hope has walked out the door and bought a one-way ticket to Pluto. Meanwhile, my to-do list seems to be screaming at me while the days get shorter. Sigh. But. I knew that my emotions were Continue Reading
Rest. Take a Break.
I wrote this early last year, but it’s really been on my heart again. I think someone could use these words… 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, Continue Reading
Find the Fun!
You know that fun thing you’ve always wanted to try? Go and do it. You know that fun thing you used to do before you got “too busy” or “too old?” Go and do it again. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for the perfect time to do that fun dream. That one that has lived so quietly inside a corner of your heart for too long. Maybe it’s time to let go of the excuses. Maybe it’s time to move through your fear. Maybe it’s time to stop worrying about what people might think. Maybe it’s time to let go of doing it perfectly … or Continue Reading
I See You
We were celebrating my nephew’s birthday. Danny was turning two. His afternoon was filled with little kids’ birthday party favorites -- cake, presents, streamers, lots of noise – attention. I realized I hadn’t seen his older brother around, so I went looking for 4-year old David. I found him sitting on the top step of the stairway, removed from the celebration, crying his little heart out. Through deep staccato sobs and a snotty nose, David explained, “It’s hard for someone like me when it’s not my birthday.” Bless him. That was over Continue Reading
Brightener or Bummer?
So I’m at mom’s, and I realize that my hands always look dusty. Like I’ve swirled them around in a little dirt. Then I notice that there is a light gray film over the tray table that holds my work files. And the white garbage can is displaying swirls of gray. I put on my Nancy Drew hat and pull out my magnifying glass. We have gray. On a lot of stuff in the apartment. No room is spared. Go figure! Fast forward a few hours to 2:00 a.m. I’m up with mom and I start Googling. Long scrolling made short, I discover that it might be from the Continue Reading
Be the Sunshine
When I take the time to consider the influence we have on the hearts of others, it boggles my mind. And it’s a little scary. And amazing. But mostly mind-boggling. Just think about it. We can literally change the course of someone’s day by one word. Or one action. Or one smile. And boy, let’s do our best to change that someone’s day for the better, right? Our ability to influence someone’s heart – change their day – doesn’t happen because we “have a big platform.” Or because we’ve got all our ducks in a row and they’re Continue Reading
Life is a Parade!
What is it about parades? They make us cheer and clap. Wave at people we don’t know. Bounce to the music. Hope that some of the candy gets thrown our way. And some of us get misty when the nostalgia passes by. The “professional” parades are OK to watch, right? Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade brings out our inner parade critic from the comfort of our couches. We pick the floats we like best, worry that the girls carrying the flags are going to freeze to death, and wonder who has the money to pay for all of it. BUT! The REALLY COOL Continue Reading
Can You See Me?
It was not my finest moment. It was worse than a bad moment. It was a “You’ve got to be kidding me!” moment. Some years ago, I worked as the Corporate Employment Manager for a big firm in downtown Minneapolis. I interviewed job candidates all day. Loved it. But. One day … I was interviewing a young man, and in the middle of the interview, I woke up. Yes, that’s right. I woke up. Somewhere between “Why are you interested in this position?” and “Tell me about a time when …” I fell asleep. But I kept asking the questions. Continue Reading
The Day I Lost a Day
It was three years ago this week that I lost Tuesday.One moment I was doing lunges and burpees at the Y, and the next moment everything just got … lost. I have no memory of that afternoon.The doctors said I had an episode of transient global amnesia. (When the doctor told me that was her diagnosis, I started to laugh. Because, really. Who gets amnesia when they’re doing burpees at the Y?)An overnight stay at the hospital and lots of tests indicated that it was only amnesia; no stroke or anything else that we’d already started worrying Continue Reading
Love God. Love People.
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