Get Out There and Dance!

by

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

by

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

by

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

by

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!

by

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

by

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

When Life Becomes the List

by

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.

by

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!

by

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

by

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?

by

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

by

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!

by

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?

by

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

by

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.

by

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

Who Needs a Chin Lift?

by

I was walking past the graham crackers in Byerly’s grocery store when the elderly woman in the blue wool coat pushing a grocery cart rushed up to me. “Where are the paper towels?” Her sense of urgency really caught my attention. It came through her voice and her eyes. Panic. Anxiety. Lots of it. “My husband had an ‘accident.’ He’s sitting in the car. He’s so embarrassed. We’re on our way to a quartet reunion and they’re waiting for us.” Oh my. Can’t you just imagine all the emotions her trembling heart was experiencing in those Continue Reading

Dreams and Realities

by

Dreams are good. And reality is … real. So, may I encourage you with this note … Our dreams matter. Those things we want to see, do, write, experience? Let’s make them come true… Even though our reality doesn’t seem to be cooperating. Last week I shared that I want to re-learn Norwegian. Tap dance. Play more piano. I’m going to enjoy making those dreams come true this year, even though my reality as a caregiver for my mom means … … Sleeping through the night, getting a restful sleep, never happens. … Plans are hard to Continue Reading

Still Dreaming — You Too?

by

Truth here. I love colored notebooks. The cool, smooth feel of a clean sheet of white paper (narrow-ruled, not College-ruled), ready to be filled with words and different colors of ink. The size that fits neatly on a small clipboard making it easy to have on my lap in my early morning hours. I love Planners that have calendars and lines to write on and inspirational quotes and dream spaces to fill and lots and lots of color. The ones that remind me how to be intentional and that help me live the life God has called me to live. I Continue Reading

No complaining … really?

by

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

My Hallmark Story

by

Oh, Nooo. Nooo. Noooo. It’s too early… Waaay too early. But they have begun. TV commercials for… Hallmark. Holiday. Specials. Now I like a good sappy, cry-til-your-eyes-are-puffy and your face-is-blotchy movie like everyone else. (Except my husband Steve. He would rather read a book.) But sometimes…they are just a bit too much.... Continue Reading

Stand Up and Step Away

by

(Remembering really fun moments from a few years ago …) The cable was as thin as my confidence that it could actually bear my weight. I looked across the ravine to where my landing place would be, and I looked down into the ravine where I did not want my landing place to be. And then I just shook. Good grief. I was zip lining. Now just let me say… For those of you who have done this, and the experience was not fearful and only exhilarating…I applaud you. High-five. Atta’ girl. I’m impressed. Really. But my first Continue Reading

You are awesome!

by

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

Look for the Color

by

For your consideration ... Is life looking a little gray? Try making this little shift ... Look for the color. Literally. Look for the colors around you. When we start seeing bright colors, we wake up! Things seem more interesting. Life looks different. The reminder came to me as I sat in the corner chair in mom’s apartment.  It had been a long night of ups-and-downs as mom tried to fall asleep. Looking out the window I saw clouds and rain. Gray. My day was scheduled too tightly. Gray. I was tired. Gray.  My little world was ... Continue Reading

One Decision Can Change It

by

Have you found yourself in this predicament? In this storyline? I have ... We scroll through Instagram. Scroll through Facebook. Sometimes while eating ice cream. Often while eating ice cream. We get lost in our books - the heartbreak, romance, drama, redemption. We are simultaneously repulsed by and captivated by reality TV. (Have mercy!) We dream of homey country kitchens and cute gadgets as we watch the cooking shows. (Have you seen Master Chef Junior?  Oh my word. Those ahhhmazing kids can cook with food I’ve never even Continue Reading