No matter what our source of pain or grief, it’s easy to buy into the myth that a new spouse or job, having a child, moving to a new location, or having more money will solve everything. While they might make us happy for a while, none of these temporary fixes is meant to be our ultimate source of hope ..read more

The enemy takes advantage of our fatigue to pull us into a mire of depression and discouragement. Often, we let him, because of pride. We somehow feel we must always be productive, useful, and working in order to please the Lord (and everyone else). Until we’re such a mess that we can’t function anymore ..read more

The overall theme is our need to have peace within the confines of our home and school, which isn't always easy when they're both in the same location. And we, as parents, need to have peace in our hearts that only comes from God. Inside of that, each month of the school year has a mini-theme. Here is part of the Table of Contents ..read more

My Creative Writing teacher in high school is one of the big reasons I’m a writer today. The notes and comments he made on my papers and journal writing made me feel like I had something to say worth listening to. He told me I had a future as a writer. In movies like: “The Miracle Working” (1962), “To Sir With Love” (1967), “Lean on Me” (1989), the “Christy” series (1994-95), “Mr. Holland’s Opus” (1995), “Coach Carter” (2005), “Akeelah and the Bee” (2006), “Freedom Writer’s (2007), “Precious” (2009), and more, teachers and coaches changed the lives of students who would otherwise have had no h ..read more

What is your first response when someone excitedly says to you, “Hey, have you heard the news?” When one of our grandkids says something like that, they instantly have my attention. I know it’s going to be good, at least good for them. News of a new puppy at their house, an upcoming field trip, soccer game, or dance recital. Because I love them, I rejoice in their excitement. When one of our kids asks me if I’ve heard the news, it’s usually pertaining to them, but sometimes includes me and my husband. Again, I rejoice that they rejoice, and even more so if I benefit too. That’s how we should f ..read more

One of my favorite Dad stories began when my friend Katy and I made some chocolate pudding, and in devouring a bowlful, got it all over our faces. So we proceeded to paint mustaches and beards on our faces. When we noticed the similarity to blood, we decided to mix up an even better concoction to play a trick on my dad. Once perfected, Katy smeared some on my face, arms, and legs and I went running into the front yard screaming, “He hurt me, he hurt me!” When he heard my cries, Dad bolted from under the car in our driveway and went crazy with questions. “Who hurt you? Where is he?” Surprised a ..read more

Well, I guess it’s been too long since I updated my pages–three years and seven retreats ago to be exact! Here are a few photos from the spring retreat at Black Butte Ranch. View from the meadowCold walk to the meadowFlourish and Thrive groupMeeting with prayer partnersAcrylic resin coaster craftReady for the next sessionMore crafting!Aspen Lake walkOn the boardwalk Even though it was cold and rainy, we all had a fantastic time! The ladies were so eager to learn and share that we hardly had much free time, but when we did, they got out for walks and had fun in the hot tub and around the house ..read more

Good parenting is exhausting! It would be easier to just let our kids do whatever they want—eat sugar and no vegetables; give in when they whine; let the TV, computer, and phone keep them out of our way; let them make life-altering choices based on their feelings and what society says, rather than researching the facts with them so they can make informed choices. No curfew, no supervision, no rules, no problem. Right? The opposite end of the spectrum is to micromanage every step; be so rigid and harsh that they learn to fear and despise us, and hate our rules. Or, we can hover and be so intert ..read more

I waited on purpose to post an Easter blog until after the Day. It’s such a busy time of church programs and family gatherings, and good messages coming from everywhere. But if you’re like me, you might need a little something after the celebration dies down and you’re coming off the high. When we’re exhausted from all the busyness, that’s when we need to be reminded it’s not just a feel-good story, but a miraculous, impossibly true event, worth staking our lives on. On Easter our pastor was talking about what we need to do to keep on walking in our Christian faith, even after the first glow i ..read more

My dad died unexpectedly on January 26. I’m missing him. He was 90 and could no longer read, or drive, or teach Sunday school, since his stroke last Christmas Eve. But Dad was back to playing pickle ball three times a week, and lifting weights for two. His sense of humor was quick and sharp, and our times together were sweet. But it ended rather quickly. My husband was just recovering from a double hernia surgery. A week into his healing my mom was rushed to the hospital and had her own emergency surgery. So, my sisters and I were taking turns staying with Dad. I brought Mom home from the hosp ..read more