What If . . . ?

What if? What if is a common question that drifts through our minds. And sometimes get stuck there. What if I lived in the 1800s? What if I chose to marry him? What if I majored in English instead of journalism? Fifteen years ago this spring, I sat in a coffee shop...
Ish. Ish. Ish.

Ish. Ish. Ish.

Ish. Ish. Ish. Just where did we come up with this three-letter suffix that we seem to add to most any word? I’ll be there at 9-ish. She was feeling sluggish. He was kind of standoffish. Today I heard a youthful retail store clerk tell a customer ahead of me, “I’m...
Pointing in the Right Direction

Pointing in the Right Direction

There’s something freeing about your life pointing in the right direction. You know, when your goals and aspirations are coming out ahead of your everyday challenges and draining stressors. Pointing the right direction reminds me of this family classic photo when I...
How to Survive Anything

How to Survive Anything

Just how does someone survive anything? Really? Not long ago I talked with a woman who truly exudes a lighter heart in tough times. You’ll find her story real and remarkable. Katherine is the kind of woman we could sit down with for coffee and suddenly discover we’ve...
Just Keep at It

Just Keep at It

Just keep at it. That’s sometimes easier said than done. I ran across the “just keep at it” words this week  in The Message rendering of 1 Timothy 4:16. “Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it.” Don’t be...
Two Beautiful Minds

Two Beautiful Minds

I know two older women with beautiful minds. My neighbor, Ilse, has a beautiful mind, it just doesn’t always cooperate as she’d like. Dementia has a way of muddling the brain’s communication pathways, leaving a person drifting in and out of a mental fog. Dementia is...
Life After the Unthinkable

Life After the Unthinkable

We all have a story to tell. Even if we think we don’t. I am honored to tell this bending story of a much-loved librarian who survived and thrived after the unthinkable slammed into her life. Some people love books and are voracious readers. Lois Wagner was one of...
“Hello, God, Are You There?”

“Hello, God, Are You There?”

I am recovering from thumb surgery, so this week I am sharing from my timeless blog classics. Enjoy! Learning to bend in life includes learning to hold tight when it feels like God goes silent. Hello? Hello, God, are you there? So goes the wondering when it comes to...
Just Get Up, Again. Again. Again. Again.

Just Get Up, Again. Again. Again. Again.

So when is losing really winning? Here our world goes again, beating up on another already beleaguered sports champion, an Olympian gold medalist. This time instead of rock star gymnast Simone Biles being battered by the media and fans everywhere, it’s Olympic Alpine...
Lassie to Your Rescue?

Lassie to Your Rescue?

Tell me you know who Lassie is. Yes! I honestly have not met anyone who does not know about that beloved rough collie Hollywood icon, Lassie. I’ve had people from South America tell me how they had very few TV channels to watch growing up, but their parents made sure...