Category Archives: Uncategorized

Mother’s are extraordinary. Moms are really super heroes often disguised in food stained aprons, messy hair, and unshaven legs. Their energy and will to persevere comes from deep within the center of the earth. That same place where my boys once said I made chili. Moms are resilient. A mom sometimes runs off little toContinue reading “The Strength of a Mother”

I took my lunch at 1:00 as usual but I did not go to my usual spot today. I went to a different park. It’s the park where I ran my first 5k. It’s where my family shot fireworks for the community on the 4th of July. And it is the only park here withContinue reading “Pokémon Go – AWAY!”

I took the day off for an appointment. I could have just missed half a day but I never miss work and I need to start some self-care. I didn’t get paid but taking care of me has to be a priority. I haven’t been taking care of myself as you recall in recent posts.Continue reading “What a Difference a Day Makes”

Ezekiel and I started a Bible study today on forgiveness. I have my own thoughts on this topic. I think there is a difference between “letting go” and “forgiving”. God forgives us when we ask for His forgiveness. Does He forgive us when we don’t ask? Why would He expect us to do something thatContinue reading “Forgiveness: Food for Thought”

I was lying in bed this morning, thinking. I’ve been trying to figure out me and what’s changed over the past couple of years. Mostly, the last year and a half. Three words came to my mind: I gave up. I was pondering the questions of why am I feeling so bad, mentally and physically?Continue reading “I Gave Up”

Ezekiel and I had a discussion a couple of nights ago about how to make dreams come true. He said, “You need to break a dream into goals because you’ll never get to the top of the stairs without steps.” That makes sense. I told him I created a quote and had it specially madeContinue reading “The Guitar”

As some of you may recall, I have the yard from hell. It has caused me much grief and has aged me about 8 years. At least. I dropped 12 ash trees two years ago. My yard has never recovered. The damage from the trees falling and from removing them has greatly damaged my yard.Continue reading “God is Funny”

Psalm 71:8My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day. My Christianity has taken me on journey through hills and valleys and unpaved, tumultuous pathways. I have seen the best and the worst in Christians and in church organizations. I have felt both safe and unsafe by things taught fromContinue reading “Praising God”

I went to my usual napping place at lunchtime. A beautiful day after a couple of stormy nights. My parking spot in the park is in a shady nook of the circle drive which is covered by a canopy of heavy leafy branches on the edge of the thick woods. I open my windows, layContinue reading “Signs of Change”

My dad’s mother’s family is from Naples, Italy. I do not remember my grandmother as she passed away when I was about three years old. Sadly, my dad lost both parents about seven days apart, in separate hospitals, and both from heart disease. As I grew up, I thought Grandma looked like Judy Garland. SometimesContinue reading “Through Our Heart Line”

I love how nature teaches us things. Like… Patience. There’s no rushing nature. Seasons come and go on the schedule that God set. The ocean tides work along with the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. What does this teach us? I don’t know. I just find it interesting. Animals often make better parentsContinue reading “Yellow Jacket Twist”

2 Kings 6:16 In today’s world, we are forced to choose sides. Every matter of life seems to be divided right down the middle: right vs wrong, good vs evil, choice vs control, and of course, the CDC vs science. (Insert laugh track) There seems to be no middle ground and both sides feel theContinue reading “Those Who Are With Us”

Is there shame in expressing sadness, heartache, or pain,To look through the sun and only see rain,Is it absurd of me to feel such emotions,Must I drink from the well of those feel good potions? My feelings are genuine and very real to me,Please don’t condemn because you can’t see,That the positive and negative, togetherContinue reading “Emotions”

I was scrubbing my bathroom sink with my long-time friend, Bar Keepers Friend, to get the orange tint off from around the drain. I wondered, Really? Does anyone else have to do this? Am I the only one who has to scrub their sink? When I was a young girl my mom would wash ourContinue reading “The Only One”

Ten years ago I was with my father at his home in Casoli, Italy. When he asked me to visit him there I readily said yes. Casoli is in the Province of Chieti in the region of Abruzzo. My dad fell in love with Italy as it is part of our heritage. His mother’s familyContinue reading “Italy”

Holding grudges. Have you ever thought of the ramifications of holding a grudge? Is it really harmless giving someone the silent treatment and ignoring them for a period of time? What’s the point? What do you expect to get from it? When you think about it…holding a grudge is silent revenge. And it is mostContinue reading “Silent Revenge”

I woke up this morning to a text that my son, Ezekiel, sent to me. It was beautifully written to say the least. I’d love to share it all here but it was written to someone in particular and that I must respect. My children are all blessed with the gift of writing and IContinue reading “My Colorful Friend”

Tonight after I published my last post, I was notified that it was my 500th post. A huge milestone. Never have I dreamed I could write so much. The strange thing though is that I don’t feel I’ve even started. This mind of mine is deep and intense. I feel everything and with great passion.Continue reading “500 Posts”

I am cleaning and reorganizing my basement. In order to accomplish this I have to get rid of things. Sort, toss, donate, organize and store. This is particularly difficult when it comes to sorting through things that once belonged to loved ones. Those loved ones being Mom, Dad, and Chelle. Besides the remarkable amount ofContinue reading “Life Condensed to a Single, Plastic Tote”

I never quite know when, or how, a topic to post will come about. It might be something I hear in passing, a special moment with a family or friends, a memory, a news report, a scripture verse, or an overwhelming feeling. Today was no different. It hit me quite suddenly. I was sitting atContinue reading “Turn Around”

Friday nights are reserved as date night with my youngest daughter. I decided to take her to the outdoor mall we used to go to often. Once-upon-a-time, the kids and I spent a lot of time there, especially at Barnes and Noble. We began our night at JC Penney’s. I spent a boatload of moneyContinue reading “Mall Days”

Always thinking. That’s me. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what ifs? Mostly this thought has been centered around losing people in my life. I guess this has been on my mind since my ex-father-in-law passed and was buried today. He was a good man and loved by everyone. Melvin was patriotic. A veteran of theContinue reading “What if…”

As I rejoice in the reversal of Roe vs Wade, I see that many others have resorted to violence and destruction once again. Those who mandated vaccinations now scream “my body, my choice”. Those who who have divided our world between the vaxxed and the unvaxxed, and often restrict the unvaccinated from receiving life savingContinue reading “Woe to Those…”

“If you are not afraid, why would you need courage?” That quote was in my devotional this morning. Today I learned something about fear. As I am a fearful person and the weight of the known, and unknown, weigh heavy on my heart, I discovered something of great importance. It is written numerous times throughoutContinue reading “Fear vs Courage”

Customer service. Why does every job lead me here? Every job I’ve ever had has been in customer service. Well, except when I worked in the activities department of a long term health care facility. Am I just getting old and tired and impatient, or is everything messed up and every one in a constantContinue reading “My Brain is Tired”

A few years back I went out with a man whom I’ll call Jay. Jay and I had gone out a few times and I guess I wasn’t ready for dating, or we weren’t right, or whatever. So he went out with someone else. He jumped into that relationship with both feet right into theContinue reading “The Best Date”

When we discuss children often we refer to the mother as the main person of interest in their lives. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. I am perhaps what many would consider old fashioned in my view of the structure of the family. That’s okay. I don’t mind. Because I believe in God’sContinue reading “Fathers”

I’m currently in the process of writing a post about my journey to Italy in June of 2012. Hopefully soon, I will be ready to share it with you. Tonight I watched Under the Tuscan Sun. I believe it is one of my favorites. I love Italy. I love the language. I love the people.Continue reading “Under the Tuscan Sun”

This time of year sends my heart back to Minnesota with my family. The summer vacations there were fun for us three kids. We’d pack up our station wagon in anticipation of the long drive to our grandparents’ house. Sometimes we’d pull our pop-up camper. This was long before the seatbelt laws and we’d haveContinue reading “Wishin’ for Fishin’”

Matthew 19:14But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” My oldest daughter is pregnant with her second child. A precious boy! We are so excited. He is my second grandson. My granddaughter, Dakota Chez (pronounced “shay”), is named after aContinue reading “Dakota Chez”