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. 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 ... God is patient with me. Very patient. Have you read verses Continue Reading
The Gate is Open!
I don’t remember where I saw the photo, but the moment it captured has stayed in my memory. The picture caught a large group of parade-watchers crowded onto a city sidewalk. Too many people in too little space. The scene highlighted an elderly woman calmly resting her arms on the street barrier, leaning into the scene, watching the parade go by. Smiling. Relaxing. Soaking it all in. Standing around this woman were a whole lot of others taking selfies. Posing. Finding the right light. Looking at their phones/cameras with their backs Continue Reading
Heaven is Cheering You On!
YAASSSS! Spring has arrived in Minnesota!The usual clues are showing up. Most noticeably, the orange traffic cones reminding us of the road construction we have to maneuver through. Parkas have been replaced with rain jackets and the icicles hanging from our roofs have melted away.Another clue is the swarm of runners. You can tell they’ve been itching to get out running without the icy roads and sleety weather. They are everywhere! Very cool.Do you enjoy running? If you do, I applaud you! I’m truly impressed. Consider yourself high-five’d. 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
My Faith Journey
My faith journey has been filled with lots of joy, a whole bunch of tears, and more questions than I can count with fewer answers. Mom and dad told my sisters and me in our most littlest days that Jesus loves us. It is the most simple message…that carries such profound weight behind it. I’ve held that promise close to my heart for over 60 years. I’ve always had a strong need to follow the rules. {Well…that was probably more true in my younger years.} Following the rules has kept me out of more trouble than I could have had. But when Continue Reading
I’ll Take a Memoir, Please
I’ll take a memoir, please. One preferably written by a not-so-young woman whose story reads something like this... Her life was filled with hope-filled dreams. Exciting expectations. Blue skies and sun-filled days. She had energy that made skipping in her summer slip-ons easy-peasy. “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows” was a theme song. (And yes, that really is a song. Our little “Vicki’s Girls” group sang it back in the day. Now you’re really impressed, right?) Then life happened. Her skies got cloudy. Disappointment replaced those Continue Reading
Not in Charge
The joke is that Minnesota has two seasons: winter and road construction. Well, we are well into road construction time here while the snow still melts. There’s a big highway overpass project just down the road from us. Heavy equipment that’s taller than the trees. Trucks that look like they can haul 50 tons of stuff. And the dirt. Oh my, the dirt. And the cement. Lots of it. Driving by it the other day (using the annoying detour, of course), I said to Steve, “I’m so glad I’m not in charge of that project.” A short time later we 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
Who Needs a Chin Lift?
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
The Really Bad Day
It wasn’t pretty. Not at all. In fact, it was just plain ugly. What was ugly, you ask? Tuesday. Tuesday was ugly. Call it a bad day. A meltdown day. A day when nothing seemed to go right. Or as one of my storybook heroes, Alexander, referred to it, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” * The sad thing is, I’m not even sure what was wrong. It just seemed like everything was. (Cue “Poor Me” music here.) Nothing was wrong but everything was wrong. Nothing was right. I wasn’t right. The world wasn’t 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
Dreams and Realities
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
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
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
Stand Up and Step Away
(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
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
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
Look for the Color
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
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
Make Time for Happy
Dorothy was a hoot! I met her at a women’s retreat. She was wearing a beautiful cobalt blue blouse while she told me about her grandchildren. When I complimented her on her blouse, she said, “Well, my hair color changed this month and I had to find something to match it. I usually mix different hair colors, but this month I ran out of all of them. So, I just mixed what was left of everything I had. Now my hair color changes every day!” And then…she laughed. And shook her beautiful blue locks of hair. Dorothy’s joy came through Continue Reading
One Decision Can Change It
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
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