WEATHERING THE STORM With my husband, Jeff, being an avid traveler, our daughters could always count on receiving a souvenir from each of his trips. I believe it was in the late 80s when Jeff brought our oldest daughter, Sally, a stuffed polar bear. She adored it and named it Opie. Recently, while mustering the…

SHARKS IN THE WATER! Whether the threat is real or imagined, the feeling of fear can overcome all thoughts and emotions. The unknown can be particularly daunting. Recently, two of my grandchildren were facing the fear of swimming lessons.  “Will there be sharks in the water?” asked the quizzical 4-year-old. “Will I have to hold…

Give Me The Facts My 5-year-old granddaughter loves a good story. She will say, “I want a real story,” meaning she wants facts and not fiction. (No fairytale princesses or rainbow unicorns here!) I often share stories about something that happened in my childhood and between those and her 5-year-old repertoire of questions, we can…

LEGACY OF HOPE This past month our church kicked off a capital campaign project to repair, upgrade, and create new worship spaces.  The excitement peaked at a dinner with over 350 members attending to hear and learn about what is to come.   As I listened closely, I learned the project is not about the…

SOUL CARE Lately, I hear friends talking about self-care; are you hearing the same? Self-care is defined as anything you do to take care of yourself so you can stay physically, mentally, and emotionally well. Interestingly, I found one indicator of the trend on Google; searches on self-care have quadrupled since 2018, which may be…

FIND YOUR HAPPY Do you celebrate International Day of Happiness?  In case you were not aware, in 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which decreed that the International Day of Happiness would be observed every year on March 20th. That’s great news, but I propose we choose to find our happy 365 days…

WHERE IS YOUR SAFE SPACE? My beautiful granddaughter, Charlotte, recently turned four.  Yes, she is a fantastic 4! She has always been quiet and shy and just now beginning to find her words and personality.  There is, however, one dear friend, Cate, who provides a safe space for Charlotte.  When around Cate, you see Charlotte’s…