Holiday

SUMMER SURPRISE!

As summer begins, many people include more time for reading. Over the next 6 weeks, I’ll post an excerpt from each of my published books. I’ll have two more books launch in 2023-2024, including Hip Waders: A Naked View of a Soul. Hip Waders follows a journal format like Knee Deep: Handwritten Letters to My…

NOW WHAT? NOW WHAT!

I’ve incorporated “YET”, my 2023 word of the year, to teach my spring and summer series workshop: Now What? Now What! Short Summary of “Now What? Now What!”: “I am here. I expected, hoped, wished, and planned to be there. Now What? How do I handle this canyon between my present situation and my future…

GENEROUS REVERSAL

My word of this year is YET. I’ve become aware of how often YET plays into my life. For example, I haven’t seen x or y YET. Or, I thought my day would include a and b, YET. When I allow myself to be open to possibilities, I find something better, different, or new can…

SHE DID WHAT?

The following is from one of my Reader’s Digest submissions. I take a break from my traditional FROG Blog to celebrate spring’s new birth! Trusting you’ll discover fresh outlook every day, Christina Dedicated to Karen K., my favorite babysitter My siblings and I had our typical squabbles, but we consistently agreed on one thing. Karen…

WALK IT OFF!

I frequently walk outside to organize and clarify my thoughts. As an author, I have a lifestyle that incorporates frequent solitude. For me, quiet space creates indulgent peace. Sometimes that same beloved solitude can be an unseen thorn.  Quietness can appear tranquil, yet my spirit becomes confused when I struggle against internal noise. On one…

A STONE’S THROW AWAY

Sometimes I am one stone’s throw away from a game changer. There’re times when I teeter between one pivotal breakthrough and one misguided decision. Ruth has become a biblical mentor to me. She’s considered meager by the world’s standards. Widowed, childless, no professional resume. She’s the household provider and caregiver for her widowed mother-in-law Naomi….

COLOR MY WORLD

Thunderstorms visited our town last night. I woke to a break in the storm and went for my morning walk. One side of the sky was dark with pregnant clouds preparing for rain. One side winked a potential sunrise. One sky, one world, more than one vantage point, depending on which way I looked. Originally,…

MONKEY CHATTER

Sometimes, I’m challenged to conduct myself appropriately. I speak out of turn or disregard wisdom to follow an instinct. I wonder, “Wow. If I battle this much with my thoughts and priorities, how, as a loss-support  coach, can I l guide others to make their next best move?” When I notice how quickly life changes,…

HOW MANY MORE TIMES?

Be strong. Repeat. Be strong. Repeat. Be strong. Repeat. I need to hear, read, and practice something multiple times before a shift occurs. I learn best through one-on-one repetition. Sometimes repetitive actions develop into unhealthy patterns. That’s when I need to change direction so I can respect myself first and then accept others.   I…

SHHHHH…

When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep. …So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And…