Good morning... Yesterday, June 9th, hosted two special birthdays. My mom turned 86 years old in Ohio, and Audrey DeShetler turned 19 years old here in Atlanta. Born on the same day, sixty-seven years apart, both of these women have a strong drive to live life fully. After falling [...]
Good morning... Brewing coffee for my dad and myself, I drank from her "Yeah Mom!" mug. Before surgery to repair her broken hip, I was so grateful to see my mom, to kiss her on the forehead, and to share with her my love. After my sister took me to the airport for my return trip back to [...]
Good morning... We enjoyed a slow, low-key day after my parents' joyful Music Man performance at their senior living community in Ohio. Waking late. Talking over breakfast. Enjoying a relaxing morning together. Going to an appointment with the eye doctor. Grateful for good news, "Everything looks great." Stopping by Dairy Queen to order an ice cream cake for [...]
Good morning... Parents age. Heck, we all age. Might we enjoy supporting this natural process? As we mature, life's essentials become key. Eating. Sleeping. Feeling well. Nurturing friendships. Connecting with family. Remembering good times. I enjoy visiting my parents in Ohio, because I quite easily relax into their slower pace. Coffee. Banana. Peanut butter. Conversations about life. Planning [...]
Good morning... I picked out the perfect Mother's Day card, wrote my loving thanks in my own handwriting, and stuck it in the mail earlier this week. As my mom opens the card and feels the love of our family, I hope she will listen closely to the lyrics of the music video below, A Mother Like You [...]
Good morning... Recently I snapped the photo above outside the home of a woman in our young mom's class from church. I love the colorful toys and chairs in the yard, the tiny basketball hoop in the driveway, and carseats leaning up against the garage. "Your yard and home are just so happy!" I texted her in the [...]
Good morning... When I wrote the word "tandem" in yesterday's post, my thoughts were drawn back to an inspiring talk given by our dear friend, Beth Jordan. Beth went to heaven on October 11, 2017 after living fully with brain cancer through eight courageous years. (You may want to revisit her obituary.) I vividly remember one special evening [...]
Good morning... On my 61st birthday, I wake to an empty home, two dogs, and one spring birthday doll. My husband is away in Nicaragua, checking out a possible location for his upcoming new adventure as travel director for Lovett Expeditions. One daughter is in a wedding in Nashville, Tennessee; the other daughter is visiting with college friends [...]
Good morning... Many have lost loved ones this week all over the globe, but personally I have been touched by five deaths and one life. "I shed a few tears on the way to work," my husband said after school last Monday. "Eric Carmen died over the weekend, and they were playing his songs in tribute. I used [...]
Good morning... For thirteen consecutive years, our Women's Ministry at Northside Church hosted an annual gathering each spring. We called the well-attended evening event the "Women's Lenten Communion Service." Each year, we would invite a different woman from our faith community to share an uplifting talk about some pressing issue we might face in our lifetime. Together we [...]
