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  And He Will Direct Your Path Shortly after my husband died in October of 2014, my oldest daughter, Allison, had me over for dinner. My whole family was very good about taking care of me during that horrific time. After dinner, my nine-year-old grandson asked me a totally innocent question.    “Doll, do you think you’ll get married again?”  (Yes, my grandchildren call me “Doll.”)   Allison was shocked and held her breath. She tried to warn Spencer with a gentle kick under the table. My son-in-law stood by wondering what to say. My oldest grandson looked at me with the same curiosity as his brother.   It had only been a week since the funeral. The  Grands....2013 I drew in a deep breath and answered as honestly as I could. “Spencer, I can’t imagine loving anyone as much as I loved your Pap-pap, but I don’t know what God has in store for me.”   It’s true. We simply can’t see around the corners of our lives, but God can. I understand this truth and ...

Finding Strength...Embracing Weakness I’ve considered writing this post for a number of years, but I keep putting it off. I can be a procrastinator.    I’m joking. Actually, the post isn’t about being a procrastinator. It is about coming face-to-face with our personal weaknesses. And our strengths. The beginning of 2023 seems to be an appropriate time for a bit of self-assessment.   I’ve long contended that what is our weakness is also our strength. As well, what is our strength may also be our weakness.     Consider honesty. My late husband was honest. Most people consider that a strength. It is... but Tom’s honesty could be brutal. For instance, a Chinese family invited us over for dinner one evening. They prepared a treat just for us: a Japanese style baked fish complete with scales, eyes, everything. Tom took one look and stated, “I’m sorry. I can’t eat that. It looks too much like bait to me!”     When I kicked him a warning shot under the ta...

Last week I wrote about how to live a grand life: live simply, love deeply, play hard, sleep soundly, and forgive freely. You might think this week’s offering is a mere extension of that blog entry. It is not. It is about my mother.  Quite simply, my mother has already mastered those very elements of living life fully and embracing each day with the joy I noted in last week’s post.   So, no, I’m not highlighting those pieces again. This week I am celebrating the woman who has had the most influence on my life. My mom.  This week my mother celebrated her ninety-first trip around the sun.   Last year we had great plans for a big party. COVID reared its ugly head and that celebration had to be modified. Greatly. It turned out to be a fun and memorable day, even if most of the family was present via zoom.   We tossed around a few ideas for this year’s recognition of GG’s birthday (GG stands for great grandma…which she is eight times over.) My oldest granddaughter, N...

The Art of Being Grand If you ask me, my life is pretty grand.  I have many reasons to cite. I have a warm house in which to live, a loving family, a church I enjoy, friends, and food. I have some other exciting life changes I’ll share in another post.    But one of the “grand” parts of my life is that of being a  grand mother. I have been blessed to have five  grand sons, three  grand daughters, and two  grand dogs.   Kiwi at the window Yes, I said granddogs. Since they are both female, I often refer to Bailey and Kiwi as my “granddoggers.” (At least I think it sounds a bit like “granddaughters” no matter what  anyone else  thinks.)    I recently had the opportunity to dog-sit the youngest of my granddogs, Kiwi. Kiwi is part Black Labrador Retriever and part Australian Shepherd.    Kiwi is not a lap dog. (No matter what  she  thinks.) This puppy is strong, energetic, and big. She also has a big heart and lo...

  2023: A Word for the Year   Last year, I chose "RESET" as my word for the year. The word challenged me to change, adapt, adjust, and revise.  It meant I needed to start over and charge forward.   The onus was on me.    After struggling to apply the word in every area of my life, I finally decided the task was too daunting. Instead I decided to hone in on my writing. I attended a wonderful writing conference and wrote a split-time short story now published in an anthology called Ohio Trail Mix . In addition, I  completed three other projects  in a pile I have called “unfinished business” for the last two years I ended the year feeling that although I hadn’t hit the RESET button in all areas of my life, I had made great strides in understanding myself as a writer.   December was on me. I knew I needed to consider a word for 2023.  It was a struggle.   Then at church on January 1, 2023, the word “reNEWal” popped up on the screen...