Ninety-four and Counting

 Ninety-four and Counting

This past week, my mother celebrated ninety-four years on this earth. While she used to frown on birthday parties, she has grown to appreciate them. 

Good thing. Mike and I invited a few members of the family and a couple of her close friends for a light lunch. We decided on cupcakes instead of a cake aflame with ninety-four candles. 

There was a fifty-year span between the youngest guest and the oldest. And…FYI… Mom wasn’t the oldest person in the room, either!

No balloons. No streamers. No noise makers.

             

Instead? Lots of food, good conversation, thoughtful gifts, and laughter. Lots of laughter.

I know how blessed I am to have my mom live near me. We enjoy walking in her neighborhood, playing games, and Friday night cookouts at our house. Hey…Mike grills a mean hamburger! 

I love it. I am fortunate to have her around to go shopping, grab something at Burger King, and laugh about…well, anything and everything.

For her birthday celebration, Mom wore her “Ninety Years and Counting” sweatshirt my oldest daughter, Allison, made for Mom’s ninetieth birthday. 

“I figure I could still wear it,” Mom told me. “I’m still on the ‘and counting’ part.” 

Keep counting, Mom. Keep counting.

If you are still blessed to have your mama around, give her a call. 

Or better yet, give her a hug. 

And Here's one more pic from the day!

Mom and my sister-in-law "freeze" at church, so Karen made sure to get Mom a warm wrap!

 

A Word for the Year

Choosing a Word for the Year

Word for the Year?

How about a Verse for the year?

Those of you who follow my blog know that I usually choose a word for the year. I started the practice after reading a blog posted by best-selling author Debbie Macomber many years ago when I began my writing journey.

I’ve gone through a series of words. Some have served me well. Others didn’t reveal themselves as readily, but in looking back, I see how the word surfaced in my life decisions and experiences.

I generally pray over the choice and God affirms the word I’ll use in some way. It may start popping up in conversations or in my daily Bible reading. 

It isn’t some sort of “mystical revelation.” Just experience and recognition.

Curiously, this year I landed on two verses and the very first word …the word TRUST, hit me in the face. And soul.

Proverbs 3:5-6. “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

The passage goes on to say, 7 “Do not be wise in your own eyes…”

So, for 2026 I chose not only the word TRUST, I chose the whole passage. 

You see, over the course of time, life experiences have challenged my writing…my purpose, my platform, my ability.

I continue to write but often feel I am not up to the task.

I attended a writing conference in October, but for much of it I felt unprepared. Unnoticed. Inadequate. 

I wanted to meet agents or publishers, but I didn’t find a comfortable connection in those arenas. 

Curiously, though I write Women’s Fiction, I found the energy I longed for at the conference in the Children’s Literature track with Michelle Medlock Adams.

I don’t know if that will lead me anywhere, but I’m open to the possibility. In the meantime, I finished the rewrites on a book near and dear to my heart. I have a publisher interested in reading it and I submitted a short story to a children’s magazine. 

So, I will continue to write…and trust. I must. God knows so much more than I do about this stuff!

Do you have a word for the year? Or a verse? You don’t have to be a writer to choose a word. Just select one and see how it pops up in your life in 2026. 

It can be fun. And challenging!

  

 

Celebrating the New Year!

 Celebrating New Life...or Renewed Life!  

I don't know about you, but my New Year is off to a great start! 

This past week:

My daughter, Allison, and her husband, and my two oldest grandsons arrived from Ohio on New Years Day. They scheduled  a cruise leaving out of Florida, so they made sure to include a few days with us before the cruise. Of course, my mother was here to enjoy it all!

Family. That alone, is a gift.  

Still, we managed to enjoy a day of Christmas gift opening as well. Mike’s sister and his son (though I now claim them as my son, too) made sure to come over for a visit during Allison's family stay. In addition, two of the Waters’ uncles and an aunt who live in the area came for an evening of food and fun.

We didn’t ignore the tourist stuff, though. We went to Homosassa Springs to view the manatee. We discovered the state park is so much more. The venue is a zoo of sorts. It is a haven for rescued Florida wildlife. 

We saw birds of every shape, size and color, including flamingos, egrets, cranes, ducks, and pelicans.

We saw Fox Squirrels. (I’ve seen those in the wild.)  And red foxes. (I prefer not to see those in the wild.)

They had alligators, fish of every size and shape. Key deer, a bear, turtles, and of course beautiful, graceful manatee, swimming around the dock in the warm springs. We saw dolphins playing in the river beyond the springs. There is something calming and wonderful about water. 

The park is a sanctuary for injured creatures. It offers a place of healing. A new beginning. Isn’t that what we all want and need?

We start each new year with a list of dreams. Hopes. Plans. We vow to make this year better. 

We may need to allow our wounds time to heal. We may still bear a few scars from 2025. But my prayer for you…and me…. is that with God’s help, in 2026, we’ll keep swimming. And if we look for joy, we’ll find it. 

And if your joy button needs a little boost…I recommend Homosassa Springs. Or a nature center near you.

 

This Manatee appeared to smile at us!