The Daunting Thing About Daughters

I had a busy day of work and errands, and I wanted to sit down and write, but my daughter had other plans. She asked if I would play two-square with her outside. She wanted to practice so she could play (and beat) the older kids at school. So I put off this post and Read More

Making Friends with Music Again

Yesterday, while walking the dog I listened to my music app instead of my usual audio book. Actually, I hit the music app by accident and the sounds of Tracy Chapman filled my ears. She just appeared there at random, greeting me with her sonorous voice, singing of smoke and ashes… I don’t know why Read More

This is the Way

My daughter is in love with the “Mandalorian” series on Disney +, and therefore, we watch it a lot. There is a character, which most people call, Baby Yoda, whose actual name is Grogu and he is captivatingly cute. The plotline in the two-season series centers around a Mandalorian warrior trying to get this adorable Read More

Why Keep Waiting for an Ending?

A friend of mine on Instagram, @soberincalifornia, writes beautiful posts about recovery. This morning, she wrote about how her personal growth has felt stagnant during this pandemic. “The truth is that I’ve used the pandemic as an excuse to ease up on the work that still needs to be done. I’ve gotten lazy in the Read More

Sunday Meditation: Filling my Cup to Fill Yours

My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. Psalm 23 NLT My daughter often comes home from school telling me about her bucket, and what fills it. What has come to be a popular elementary school theme, the bucket analogy is used to Read More

Finding and Trusting the Truth on a Snowy Walk

I returned to my life-long friend the lake this weekend, and finally found winter. My husband and I took my daughter to Lake Tahoe to celebrate his birthday and play in the snow. I know the snow is a way of life for some of my readers, and far from being special, it’s more of Read More

Pruning to Produce Fruit

He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. John 15:3 NLT Today I finally got around to pruning some of my succulents that had grown forlorn and leggy. About a year ago, I watched a video on Read More

Roads Not Taken: Trusting the Path

As a young, bookish child, I fell in love with the Choose Your Own Adventure series. If you aren’t familiar with them, they are a series of books for young readers who get to choose what the narrator will do at strategic plot points throughout the story. If you choose A, turn to page…, or Read More

Sobriety is a Mindset

Sobriety isn’t a punishment; it’s a gift. It isn’t a counting of days; it’s a celebration of time. It isn’t handcuffs; it’s freedom. It isn’t what we have to miss out on; it’s what we get to experience. It isn’t an empty social calendar; it is an invitation to live your potential. It isn’t a Read More

Expectations on Life Expectancy

I haven’t seen or talked to my parents much lately. They live in the same town as me, and we usually see one another multiple times a week. They help out with watching the kids and the dog, and we enjoy sharing life and space. Toward the end of last year, my mom grew more Read More