This year, I pray, may I focus on the goodness and kindness I see every day in my life, no matter how small.
What does it feel like to be 70? What it feels like to be 70 is to be living in a kaleidoscope, where past memories and present experiences and glimpses into the future all come at once.
Little Lucas Alexander, born July 19th, is our latest grandchild, and our latest joy. Watching him, I see all over again how very powerless newborns are. He cannot move his arms and legs consciously. He cannot lift his head, although every day he gets a little closer to that goal. He cannot even turn over.… Continue reading Staring at the Angels
Six-year-old Hanah is back with her family now and me, I want to be more like her. I want to see the wonder in ordinary things. I want to realize how lucky I am, to have all the good things that I’ve never noticed before.
What I love about women is the way we gather as a community to celebrate other women. We seem to do it almost instinctually, at every major milestone. Recently we gathered here at my home near Chicago for a baby shower for my daughter Shannon.
The parade was to come right by our rented cottage, so my husband Frank and I attended… and stepped into another world. Being near the end of the parade route, we spent an hour waiting, walking up and down the street, being baptized by the last of the rain, enjoying the pre-parade festivities. Families and… Continue reading The Ocean Springs Mardi Gras Parade
So here Frank and I are again, in the land of white beaches, warm sunshine and blue skies. So grateful. Grateful for a safe drive down. Grateful that our loved ones and friends back home are safely through that record-shattering cold and doing well. Grateful for sunny days. Grateful that, although it is cold for… Continue reading Of Wonder, and Beaches
This is the season of giving, and I swung into full giving mode a while back. I usually enjoy giving to others. But today I woke up cranky and irritable. I’ve been giving so much that I feel drained and worn out. At times like this, one of my good friends reminds me that Self-Care… Continue reading Giving to Myself at Christmas
One of the most difficult spiritual lessons I’ve ever had to learn is that God loves me unconditionally, no matter what I do or don’t do. It is so much easier for me to think that I can at least partially earn God’s love and approval through my good works. After all, my thinking goes,… Continue reading God’s Refrigerator
When I was sick with Covid, doing pretty much nothing but aching, resting, and sleeping more than I’ve slept in years, I got a call out of the blue from a young mother I had met months before. She needed to talk. She told me that the call helped her, but I know it really… Continue reading “Changing Direction”: The Art of Positive Distraction
