Today we are getting the first real snow of the season. I admit, it isn’t really pretty yet. The snow is fine and wet, just beginning to cover the ground. The grass still peaks through and the concrete is warmer than the snow, so it melts off pretty fast. Today it isn’t giving me warm …
Out of the Chaos
Inspiration for living outside of the chaos.
I was privileged to visit Maui, Hawaii the last week of October. As sometimes happens, our flight home left at 10:15 p.m. Checkout time at the hotel was noon, of course, so we had about eight hours to kill before we left for the airport. I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t looking forward …
I am the sixth child of seven, born to a Montana farmer and his wife. Dad sold Fuller Brush door-to-door in addition to farming to provide for a family of nine. Mom planted a huge garden, raised chickens, tended an orchard and perfected preserving as much as possible in the summer to sustain our large …
In a couple of weeks, I am speaking at the spiritual renewal week at a local Christian high school. The theme is “We Were Made to Thrive” based on Casting Crowns song, “Thrive.” There is a phrase in the songs that says, “It’s time for us to do so much more than just survive.” So …
About a year ago, I wrote about kindness in Kindness Matters. I challenged myself to intentionally practice kindness toward myself and others. Today I want to respond to the challenge I accepted that day. I find it most difficult to be genuinely kind to myself. Sometimes I listen to the things I say to myself …
Last week was my daughter’s birthday. On Monday she sent me a text with a recipe attached and asked if I would make pumpkin muffins for her birthday. Later that day while running errands, she gave me a printed copy of the recipe and asked again if I would make the muffins. While shopping, she …
It was during my time of healing. Well, really before I got serious about it. Preparing for a half marathon consumed my time and my thoughts. I was also finishing my undergrad degree, taking a fine art class. It happened to be ceramics. In the midst of all this, in walked conflict. She came in …
When I was a child, before there were mega stores, internet shopping, Prime delivery and Instacart, there was Fred Meyer – B & B – as we so fondly called it. This store was a precursor, I suppose, to mega stores. One end of the store was anchored by the clothing and shoe department. Next …
In 2006, Dave and I undertook the arduous task of building a house. It was our second go around, but this time it was different. We built our forever home! There are so many choices and decisions to make when building. It easily overwhelmed me. To be sure, many of the decisions can be changed …
A friend and I decided to check out the local shopping opportunities and while on the way, we chatted about life, kids, family, jobs – you know, the usual friendly chatter. Somewhere in the conversation, my friend shared an encounter she had and summarized by saying, “I suppose a good Christian would do it differently.” …
Out of the Chaos 