For months before both of my children left home, close friends would joke with me and ask how I planned on spending my "empty nest" time.   I really didn't have an answer.  All I knew was, I would be mailing care packages to Ian in Chicago, and looked forward to dropping little surprises off at Rory & Holly's place.   Oh, I entertained the idea of dating.   Okay, I'm still entertaining that idea, but not too, too seriously, to be honest.  Maybe I'll start a new hobby - Join a gym, start working out. Within a few weeks of the kids being gone, I completely re-did my basement, washing walls, moving furniture, cleaning carpet, and made the cutest little bedroom for 2 down there.   I'm not sure who it's for.   Oh, but it is so darling! I had the spare room upstairs painted.  I bought new ... View Post

I want to tell you how intimately our God knows us, knows our heart aches, our dreams, our goals, our deepest desires, and our hurts.  And I want you to know that nothing is impossible for Him. He will arrange the most divine appointments to comfort us, if we seek Him.  I have story after story after story in my life alone, and have heard countless testimonies told by others as well.  But tonight, I want to tell you about a man named Sam, and an encounter that was arranged by God. Sam's daughter, Michele, was my very dear friend.  In fact, we called each other "seesters."  We lived next door to each other, raised our children together, worked from home together, had coffee every morning together.....  You get the picture.  We were close. Well, Sam was Michele's Dad.  He was awesome.  He ... View Post

Curled up on my bed with a good book one night, I happened to glance up and take notice of the inside of my closet, where I had carelessly left the light on and the door open.  On the top shelf were several framed photos, awards, and wall decorations that I had neatly stored there while having my living room painted.  But one of the frames was extra long, so I hung it on a small shelf that ran horizontally along the back of the closet.  Now lying on my bed, as I glanced up I had the perfect view of that frame.  In it was a collage of old family photos of my parents' wedding day, one photo of my grandparents, and a few others of my brother, sister, and I as children.  It was a Christmas gift one year from my sister-in-law.  As I glanced at that collage of photos, the one that she ... View Post

"That's a GREAT Book!"  I told my patient's daughter, who was sitting in the corner reading her Bible.  She looked up and smiled.   "Are you a Christian?" she asked.   "I am,"  I said. That was the conversation that took place, immediately following my crying out to God, asking Him to "step into my day" - My crazy, chaotic, seemingly out-of-control busy day at work.   As if He were not already intimately involved in the circus I felt I was in, I begged Him to "show up!" And show up, He did!   (But He was there all along.) The very busy assignment I had in one room, kept me from spending much time in my other room, where my patient's daughter sat in the corner reading her Bible.   But each time I was in the room, we talked about Jesus, and I knew that what my patient needed far more than ... View Post