This morning I watched a centipede that I promise you was at least 4 inches long, run a marathon across my living room floor and stop just shy of the couch. I jumped up out of my chair like the 25-year-old athlete that I am NOT, and went to grab a shoe to destroy that little monster, and... ... well, I couldn't find him. What that means is - that little bugger is still here somewhere, running around my house. How? How in the tarnation (insert Southern accent here) am I supposed to SLEEP tonight? I covet your prayers. But that's not what this blog is about. This blog is actually about an onion. Yes, and onion. A spoiled, rotted onion found wayyyy in the back of my vegetable drawer on Saturday. Here. Let me set the stage with a little back story from about two ... View Post
Dumb Phones, Digital Creators, & Influencers
Lying on the floor in the backseat of my car, I found my 6-year-old grandson's play cell phone this morning. He had brought it with him for our play date knowing that we were going to the Reptarium to see the sharks, alligators, and snakes, and he wanted to take photos. But a play phone doesn't take nearly as good photos as my i-phone, and I didn't want him to be the least bit distracted from this experience, so I told him to leave it in the car and I would take photos and send them to his mom and dad. He whined for a minute, until I explained why. I told him to take a photo of me smiling with his camera. Then I told him to put down the camera and look at me while I smiled. When I asked which one was more clear, he said without hesitating "no camera!" I explained that the ... View Post
Uh… Your Slip is Showing (and so is your bitterness)
Scrambled eggs & bacon with some wheat toast - that's what I had for breakfast Friday morning on the 4th of July when I met my friend I hadn't seen in - well, way too long. Two hours later, we gave the waitress a tip that amounted to what she'd likely have made in tips, had we not sat in her booth for as long as we did. Sometimes though, you just gotta sit with a friend for a long, long time, and soak in all of the good stuff there is to share about the current joys in life, the hurts, and struggles, and yeah... struggles. Did I mention the struggles? God speaks in so many ways, but for me - and probably for you, too - He often speaks through the wisest, godliest people in our lives. So we sit for two hours and leave $20 tips. Trust me, it's worth it. It's always, always ... View Post
A Heart Like Katie
Recently I heard someone say, "Learn to speak well of others," and like so many other impactful words this particular person has spoken over the years... I kept hearing them over and over in my head all week. Alllll week. And yesterday I was excited to have found my seat at a bridal shower right next to the daughter of one of the wisest women I've ever known. And I wasn't the least bit surprised when I asked how her mother was doing, to learn that even in her late stages of dementia she is still making an impact on her daughters, passing down nuggets of wisdom to everyone she has contact with - all day, every day, whether she's related to them or not. And whether she knows it or not. Maureen then told me the story of when one of her mother's caregivers had come to the room to ... View Post
Letting Our Loved Ones Die
My first labor and delivery experience was horrific. My daughter had anencephaly, diagnosed only one week prior to her birth, and we knew that even if she survived her birth, she would soon die. Her neural tube had not closed, and her brain had never formed. She was completely dependent on me to keep her alive, so we knew we were leaving the hospital with empty arms. God graciously spared me the pain of watching her take her first and lasts breaths, and she was stillborn - truly the saddest day of my life. For me, nothing has ever compared to January 11, 1991. I remember every person who was in that room while I labored for an entire day and night. Some of those in the room I had chosen and asked to be there with me; some I had not. Some were helpful. Some were not helpful at ... View Post
You’re Going To Die
My daughter-in-law is pregnant. My newest little longed and prayed for, and already loved grandchild will arrive sometime in early August, God willing. In the meantime, a shower is in the works of being planned, the baby registry is being built, names are being discussed between parents, the nursery room is being prepared, and all of us are dreaming about the sweet life of this newest member of our family who we can't wait to meet. Even prior to this nine months of waiting, we were all anticipating, dreaming about, hoping and praying for this child. And soon, we will anticipate every growth spurt, and every first - the first tooth, first smile, first laugh, first word, first step... with great excitement, celebration, and a million FaceTimes and Instagram photos. It's a peculiar, ... View Post
In Sickness And In Health
I spend 40 hours a week with cancer patients, and it's always sweet when someone brings their spouse, a friend, or a family member to sit beside them during their chemotherapy infusion. No one should walk through this alone. Recently, one of my close friends was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer, and has begun the chemotherapy and radiation journey, their spouse beside them every step of the way. I know this couple. I know them really well. They rarely do anything apart from one another; 54 years of marriage, and everything they do, every decision they make, the other is always the focus of what drives what decision they make. (They will even cut a potato in half to share - but that's a whole other story for another time!) It is so encouraging to me, even as a single woman, to watch ... View Post
Get Out of the Quick Sand
I could have cleaned my house today. I could have. I could have done a lot of things. But I sat on the couch with a stack of 4 books next to me and read a little bit of each one of them. I think I even snuck in a little 15-minute nap before the phone rang. Every now and then, I'd turn the television on. And every now and then I thought about Tony, my co-worker of many years who would tease anyone who sat too long and ask if they needed to be turned. I probably needed to be turned today. What books am I reading, you ask? Well, let's start with "The Women" by Kristin Hannah. It's excellent. Typically, it's my nighttime read. It's a fast read because - well, I don't want to put it down. Then there's "When Strivings Cease," by Ruth Chou Simons - an excellent read, but I find ... View Post