The holidays can be a paralyzing time for lots of people. It's easy to feel alone, even when you’re surrounded by others. Guess what? You’re not the only one who feels this way. Look around, at work, among your friends, other family members, in other circles of your life, and you will discover you've got company. Death of loved ones, divorce and custody arrangements, geographic distances, and singleness can make it a challenge with the expectations Christmas can bring. I struggled with it for Continue Reading
An Open Mind – What took me so long?
A couple of years ago, my friend, Kathy, and I were exchanging ideas about artists or entertainers we’d each like to see. She responded quickly – Michael W. Smith. I gulped a little. Now, if you don’t know him, he is a composer, musician and singer of Christian songs (not to be confused with the Christian hymns I grew up with); more specifically “praise” music – the kind that really lights a fire under many of his listeners. I heard quite a bit of this music when I attended the small Continue Reading
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! It’s absolutely my favorite holiday and this week, I was overwhelmed as I thought of the blessings in my life, and remembered past Thanksgivings. 1975 – Prepared the meal for the rest of my family along with my sister, Judy, in her Madison apartment. I was the Home Ec major and proud of the turkey we presented. Oldest sister, Barb: “Where are the giblets?” Youngest sister, Pam, with all the confidence she could muster: “This turkey had no giblets.” Look from Continue Reading
Thank You, Aunt Lorraine
Everyone needs an Aunt Lorraine. Born on 111222 as she liked to say, she’s been on my mind for several days, and I’m celebrating her 94th birthday as I write this, though she “stepped out” several years ago (her expression). She was the picture of hard work, waking every day at 5:00AM; self-sufficiency, who held herself accountable to high standards; and perseverance, as she quietly fought gender issues in the late 40’s and early 50’s while in med school and early in her career. She relied on Continue Reading