Credibility counts.
I grew up with a Dad who placed a high value on his credibility. He was a renowned physician, researcher, speaker, and administrator – and a son, brother, husband, dad, uncle, grandpa, friend, and disciple of Jesus. Was he able to be all of those things because other people – and God – trusted […]
“A fine mingling of letting go and holding on.”
Jon J. Muth tells the story of “two traveling monks who reached a town where there was a young woman waiting to step out of her sedan chair [a portable covered chair that is designed to hold one person and is carried on poles by two people]. The rains had made deep puddles and she […]
Pancakes and that extra step.
You may or may not know that there is one extra step required in order to make pancakes fluffy. Pancakes are not my specialty, so I’m as surprised as you are that I know this, nevertheless, I do. Dee Brown says “The average person will gravitate towards what’s comfortable, familiar, and doesn’t require extra effort.” […]
Decluttering your thoughts – and Ina Garten.
Several years ago when Ina Garten was in her black pants and denim shirt Barefoot Contessa heyday, my sister Marilee offered me four of Ina’s cookbooks. She was “getting rid of some stuff”, as she was prone to do, and thought of me. I happily took them and added them to my growing collection of […]
A change in direction and an all-you-can-eat buffet.
I grew up in a very ‘traditional’ home. My mom was a ‘stay at home’ mom and my dad was a ‘work at the office’ dad. His office just happened to be at the hospital. Every now and then, back in the pre-seatbelt 70s, dad would get home from work and my parents would […]
Tuesday nights and Anchoring.
If you asked me where I was on Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm from the time I was 8 until the time I was almost 18, I could tell you. (Cue the nerd alert!) I was watching Happy Days. Truth be told, I planned my life around Happy Days. Tuesdays – according to […]
Rocks and Sand.
Have you seen that object lesson with a big glass jar filled with big rocks and sand? Well, there is a big glass jar with big rocks inside and sand filling all the empty space. Can you picture it? I think the first time I saw this visual was in a church lesson and I […]
Ride the wave.
When summer started 4 months ago, one of the first things Darren and I did was go with all the kids – and their kids — to California. There were 12 of us together for several days and it was all we wanted it to be. We loved every minute. At the end of […]
Pasta Mondays.
One of the things my husband remembers most about his growing up years in their small California town is Mondays. Because on Mondays, his beautiful Italian mother made pasta. It was a whole day event and included Old World recipes and hours of simmering sauces and hand cut noodles. He would be the helper […]
You’re making it harder.
We have a house rule about paper towels – whoever uses the last one replaces the roll. It’s pretty straightforward, right? Well, the lengths Darren will go to to be the one NOT to replace the roll have gotten pretty extreme. This afternoon the roll was getting low, so I put a new roll on […]
