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  More Than   a Bed and Breakfast   “It’s just a bed and breakfast.”  Not “just.” But I’ll get to that later.   When Mike found our house in Florida, I was still living in Ohio. I studied the pictures he sent, read and reread the details on the real estate listing, and researched the area.   I pulled up Google maps and traced the road leading to our lakeside home. Gospel Island Road. Interesting. The overhead view revealed a building near us labeled “The Lake House Bed and Breakfast.”   I knew nothing about it, but knowing it was there was a comfort. I have a large family. Surely, if everyone was to show up in Florida at the same time, we could book some of the kiddos at the B&B. It was at least a possibility.   Mike and I moved into our home in May. As it turns out, there is only one house between us and the B&B. Once we were settled in our new home, I started doing a bit of research on the place. I checked their Facebook page and tried t...

A Deck of Integrity When Mike and I married this past April, we purchased a house. We went through all of the steps for the purchase. We had it inspected  thoroughly . There were a few items to address. Nothing major. We moved into the house in May. We haven’t painted or changed much inside. Yet .    The back of the house has a large screened porch. We enjoy sitting on the porch looking out over the backyard and the lake just beyond. Off of the screened porch is a deck.   Sunset on the Lake A View From the Deck The deck came with a ramp. I suppose it was built for someone who simply couldn’t climb steps or was relegated to a wheelchair.  It doesn't matter. Our dog, Honeybee, thinks we built it just for her. Not dealing with steps to go outside has breathed new life into the fifteen-year-old “pup.”   The deck was made of wood. We wanted to replace the wood top with Trex, a composite material designed to last much longer than wood. We found a good contractor ...

  But The Greatest of These is Love “Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”   These verses from the New Testament book of the Bible, 1 Corinthians, are often spoken at weddings.  Long ago, a friend of mine suggested we would all do a better job of living side-by-side in this world if we replaced the word “love” with our own name. He said it would be a good reminder of who we are and how we measure up to living a God-filled life.   I tried it. “Becky is patient. Becky is kind. She does not envy, does not boast, is not proud…”   You get the idea.    And if you know me, you know I am not always patient. I’m not always kind, though I try. I can’t say I’ve never held an envious t...

Peace of Woodstock   Woodstock.  If you are of a certain age, you may remember the iconic music festival in upstate New York.     I was one of those people oblivious to the whole thing.    It was 1969. I had just turned sixteen. I was likely more interested in driving my Mustang and gearing up for my sophomore year in high school.   I heard about the concert  after  it happened. Roughly four hundred thousand young people descending on a dairy farm for a concert lasting four days made the news.  Not that I watched the news. Still, it was big enough to garner discussion in most circles. Adults were appalled. The kids I knew thought it was “cool.”   I may not have offered an opinion at the time, but I was well aware through the years of the powerful impact this gathering of musicians had on our lives; both musically and politically. I knew many artists I later enjoyed got their start at Woodstock.    A few weeks ago, an adver...