The Hokey Pokey and Tap Dancing

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Back in the day, when I was younger, my definition of “a cool girl” included her ability to dance. Oh my. I’d watch those cool girls at the dances in our school gym, and I marveled – yes, marveled – at their ability to make dancing look so effortless. And fun. And so cool. I wanted to be cool too, so I practiced dancing at home in front of my bedroom dresser mirror before heading up to the school dance. (Please, someone tell me that you did this too.) Good grief. That was just plain … good grief. My dancing skills were better Continue Reading

A Prayer for Miracles

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Dear Lord, Today, may I be like … … The mama. She woke up one morning, packed her little boy’s lunch of fish and bread as always, and sent him off to hear the preacher. She didn’t know that she was part of a miracle, while doing her normal everyday stuff.  May I remember that my daily actions make a difference. No matter how insignificant they seem. … The little boy. He was finding a good place to sit on the grassy hill to hear the teacher preach and heard they were looking for food. He could have kept his little lunch for Continue Reading

A Call to Action

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The note I’d written for you this week is sitting in my writing collection, waiting to be shared with you another day. It’s a good message, I think, but its spirit and lightness feel “off” when our Minneapolis area is experiencing such pain and turmoil. This little space here on the internet and in your inbox is intended to refresh your faith. Thank you for sharing this space with me. Most of the time, my messages bring a little humor. And there are a few times, like now, that my notes are a bit more contemplative. My faith journey has Continue Reading

Are Your Eyes Seeing?

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Sometimes I wonder about what you’re supposed to do with the little pieces of chips at the bottom of the chip bag. You can’t dip them in salsa, and you can’t melt cheese on them. Other times, I think about penguins. So creatively designed – and that waddle! And still other times, I wonder about Little Jack Horner. You know, little Jack, who sat in a corner. “Little Jack Horner sat in the corner, Eating his Christmas pie; He put in his thumb, and pulled out a plum, And said, ‘What a good boy am I!’” Oh my. So many things to wonder Continue Reading

Getting My Ducks in a Row … Or Not

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Good grief. If I had a milk chocolate-covered caramel for every time I’ve tried to get my act together … well, I’d be enjoying a lavish consumption of chocolate. And my stomach would be upset. And my act would not be together. We work hard at it though, right? Trying to find some level of order and calm in the chaos and overwhelm by fixing, directing, and controlling.  Intensely trying to set the perfect habits that will change our lives. Setting up work and home and people systems so everything and everyone functions like clockwork. Continue Reading

Salt Makes a Difference

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There are cooking phrases that generate great stress for me: Cooking is relaxing. It’s fun. It’s a way I love on my people. (Oh, good grief. Really? Did you know that people could die from your my cooking?) For dinner, make it easy. Just throw a few things together that you find in your fridge. (Are you kidding me? Throw a few things together? What kind of meal will mustard, chia seeds, and a really old apple create?) Just season and serve. (OK. Which seasonings? How much?) Sigh. Cooking was never my happy place. Steve Continue Reading

Set the Temperature

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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

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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

Let’s Go See What They’re
Talking About!

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The “Pickles” cartoon in Sunday’s Star Tribune made me laugh out loud. The creator, Brian Crane, always brings the joy! Earl and Pearl are an elderly couple having this conversation: Pearl: Anything good in the mail? Earl: Just a Christmas newsletter from the Hansens. Why don’t we ever send out a Christmas newsletter? Pearl: The only reason to do a Christmas newsletter is to brag about the things you did during the year. What have we done worth bragging about? Earl: What about those warts you had removed? It just makes you Continue Reading

The Unmet Expectation Creep

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I really try and focus on JOY and HOPE. Because life is good, and God is faithful. But sometimes, I get swallowed up in the creep. The creep of unmet expectations. They showed up with great fanfare about a month ago. Ugh. Maybe you can relate to moments like this? … We have plans, but someone else changes them. (Our plan is to get home by a certain time, but someone else is late, delayed, or changes their plans.)  Our hopes are high and then they hit the ground hard. (Thanksgiving family get-togethers? Gathering with friends Continue Reading

My New Book is Available!

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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

Our Lifejacket and Anchor

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Our weekend sailing trip started with blue skies, white fluffy clouds, and a whole lot of sunshine. Nothing signaled that a storm was just around the bend. Until it hit. I thought the thick, low-hanging, midnight-black clouds would reach down and wrap us in darkness. The wind tipped our little sailboat precariously onto its side. The icy rain came at us sideways; it felt like shards of glass on our faces. Once we were able to get the sails down, our captain yelled only one command: “Just hang on!” You bet we did. I’ve never been Continue Reading

Kindness is My Responsibility

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Hi, friend. I’m writing this the weekend before the Tuesday elections. When you read this, we may know who our President is for the next four years. And perhaps we are still waiting to find out. Whatever our situation is … Kindness is our responsibility. Yours and mine. Some are excited about the next four years and are celebrating. Some are worried about the next four years and are grieving. Kindness is our responsibility. How about this … Lord, help me to guard my tongue. Remind me that boasting and gloating in Continue Reading

Farmers Taught Us Well

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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. Then 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 Continue Reading

Let Something Go

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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

My Emergency Board Meeting

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So, I had a little meeting with myself this afternoon. Kind of like an emergency board meeting when something is bubbling up that needs to be addressed right away by those responsible for overseeing all things before the situation gets out of control and does more damage. Since I’m CEO and chief overseer of my life, I scheduled the meeting, put myself on the agenda, prepared a snack (strawberry kiwi collagen protein drink), and called the meeting to order. The agenda item? Moving out of the swirl and finding fresh strength. Have Continue Reading

My Words and Calvary Love

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Do you find this to be true too? It is almost impossible to refrain from complaining when I am doing burpees. Or any other form of exercise that requires me to jump up and down, do a push-up, and shoot my legs back, all within three seconds. When I worked out with my friend Jody at the Y, I typically made sure she knew how I felt about burpees and any other exercises that were hard work. Ugh! Nooo. I can’t! That many more? Whine, whine, whine, and then we’d laugh. But I always explained to her, “I’m not complaining, just informing.” Continue Reading

When Life Becomes the List

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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

You are a Treasured Possession

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Hi, friend. There’s something on my heart I want to share with you. So, pull up a chair and I’ll scoot over next to you. Let’s think about this together. Our communities and states—perhaps even our homes—are filled with a lot of noise these days, aren’t they? On TV, in newspapers, conversations at work, discussions online (have mercy!). . . there is more focus on disagreement than our shared beliefs and values. I find myself wishing that people would just stop talking because so much of what is said is not helpful. Many of these words Continue Reading

Fairy Tale Realities

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I wonder how happy we would really be if we lived a fairy tale life. If we had the 18” waist, the long, thick hair that was sometimes styled into a perfect braid instead of a messy bun, perfect skin that didn’t know rosacea was a thing. If we walked through trees and wildflowers wearing tiny slippers that covered feet that didn’t have protruding bones or pinched toes, and an ankle-length dress that never got dirty, singing like an angel while butterflies perched on our shoulders. Well, that wouldn’t be all bad, right?. In our Continue Reading

A Little Nudge

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Sometimes we need a little nudge, don’t we? When I’m feeling stuck or like I’m pacing in circles (perhaps even literally pacing in circles), I just need a little oomph or push to get me back on track and stop the slow spinning. Much of the time, my pacing is because I’m wondering about something in front of me. I’m trying to make decisions, but I don’t have all the information I need, or the significance of any of my choices loom large and I don’t want to mess it up. Wishing I had the complete action steps laid out in a 3-ring binder Continue Reading

Write a Fabulous Ending

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Wouldn’t it be cool if we each had a ghost writer writing our life story? If all we had to do was wake up and follow the script that was written for us? It would be an ideal day script filled with only happy scenes that tell 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 Continue Reading

Life Updates

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This week’s note is a little different. I’m sharing some quick thoughts from my Morning Time, a few life updates, and letting you know I’m writing a new book! Thank you for being here. Have you had the type of morning when you just can’t seem to get settled? I absolutely love sitting in my blue chair looking out my window just after the sun comes up, opening up my study books and Bible with great anticipation of talking with God.  But this morning? Everything felt ... off. Distractions came waaayy too easily. I felt like crying but Continue Reading

Find the Fun!

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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

Cheese and Pickle Sandwiches

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Some days it feels like I’ve sat down at a summer picnic, enjoying a juicy cheeseburger with ketchup and onion and relish, paired up with Ruffle chips, sweet potato salad, Bread & Butter pickles, and tangy baked beans. Everything feels perfect. Other days, it feels like the heavens opened and life offered a spectacular treat—bubbly Hawaiian pizza and Special-K bars made with just the right amount of chocolate chips. Life is exceptionally tasty. Dreamy. True bliss. And of course, there are those days that feel like I’m staring at Continue Reading