Circumstances - Everyone's got some. Those situations in life when you feel like no one else quite understands how difficult things are (for you). And when you find someone with similar circumstances, you actually believe you will find comfort in discussing them over coffee (ad nauseam) until you are even further convinced not only how wrong you've been done and how much more difficult your situation is than anyone else's. Oh! But also how no one who hasn't been through the very same set of circumstances would ever, ever understand the extent to which you've suffered. Am I right? My circumstances included being a single Mama, and all of the challenges that came along with that role. I'd love to admit here (and have often verbalized) that I was NOT a whiner, and that I NEVER ... View Post
Valuing My Time
Pulling the handle down on the old-fashioned paper cutter, I laughed out loud as the little recipe card fell into the stack of others just like it. I was visiting my old friend and roommate of two years while stationed in Korea in the Army. Here we were at her kitchen table in Dallas, preparing the recipe cards to be stuffed into the envelopes containing bridal shower invitations for her daughter. I laughed because there was no way 32 years prior to that, I could have seen this day coming. I don't think either of us ever really gave any thought to the possibility that we would go from the young 20-something-year-old girls we were - to the mothers, mothers-in-law, and grandmothers we would become! Or that when we did, we would still be friends! I hadn't seen Donna since I left Korea in ... View Post
Breakfast Crouton Casserole
12-14 eggs, slightly beaten 1 pound sausage, cooked, drained, crumbled 2 cups milk 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 (5 ounce) box of seasoned croutons Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and pour into a sprayed 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, and let stand about 10 minutes before serving. ... View Post
Nanny’s Corn Casserole
Saute 1/2 cup of chopped onion, 1/2 cup green & 1/2 cup red pepper in butter in a frying pain. Add 1 can of creamed corn, and 1 can of corn (drained). Remove from stove. Add 1 package of Jiffy cornbread. Pour in a 13x9 pan. Mix 1 cup of sour cream & 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, and dollop it all over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. ... View Post
The Greatest Christmas Gift
It's 6 a.m., and there's really no reason for me to be up this crazy early on Christmas day anymore, but my friend forgot her work shoes last night when she joined my family and friends for some food and games, and stopped to get them this morning on her way back to another 12-hour shift at the hospital. I'm reminded that sometimes, God puts new friends in our lives at just the right time. So this morning, I'm thankful for my friendship with Hillary, who shared Nishelle with me! God is good! I'm sitting in the dim light of my laptop and the Christmas tree, surrounded by a peaceful silence except for the sound of my small coffee maker brewing a fresh cup of Brazilian coffee. This moment has me reflecting on the gift of friendship, particularly my gratitude for Emily. Not ... View Post
My Ian :)
Ian was on his way out the door to see the latest science fiction movie when I suggested having breakfast together. I work the night shift and will be back in bed by noon, so I probably won't get to spend much time with him today. He's not the kind that needs, or even wants a big party. He wants to be with those he loves, and he really doesn't care doing what. That's my Ian. And yes, I'm proud. This video (below) of him makes me cry every time. I get choked up right at the part where he says, "If you are interested in getting involved in youth ministry or discipling youth"......and then he lets out a little chuckle. The reason I get choked up is because that is my true Ian coming out..... It comes from a part of his heart that God replaced with HIS heart, and HIS will, ... View Post
The Waiting Room
"Your Year In Review" is what I first saw on Facebook this morning. Curious, I watched social media put together a slide show of what it thought were my most meaningful moments. Wowzers...... was social media ever OFF! I've had a great year. I've had a fabulous week. The past two mornings, I've woken up overwhelmed with thankfulness over how good God has been to me, for as far back as I'm able to remember. And lately, He has been on a daily basis showing me just how much He loves me. This year has been FULL of great things - I set a goal in January to lose 52 pounds by December 31st. I only lost 38, but I'm so thankful for that! Just for fun, I went blonde - and am having way more fun! LOL I was able to attend the Gospel Coalition Conference for Women in Indiana with ... View Post
Walking In The Shoes of A Nurse
Walk into the nurses' locker room on any floor of any hospital, and I promise - you will likely find more pairs of shoes than you would see in any athletic shoe store at the local mall. Most of us have more than one pair at work; some of us have several - and all of us have at times wondered how many hundreds of miles we have walked in each pair. I always know that particular back ache that comes when my favorite pair of "Rockport Sandy's" have walked their last mile, and it's time to slide my feet into a new pair. Just like Mr. Rogers, we leave them at work; we slip into them in the morning, and out of them in the evening. Two more shifts, and I'll be taking my old Rockport Sandy shoes down the hall to a new locker room, at a new job (also, an old job). I couldn't help but ... View Post