This week, America turns 250. The Semiquincentennial, now there's a mouthful. đ We're celebrating some birthdays in our house, too. Dave turns another year older on July 3, and our daughter-in-love Emily celebrates on the Fourth itself. Honestly, it doesn't get much better than that. And I will confess: I become an absolute child at a fireworks show. Wide eyes. Audible oohs and aahs. Zero dignity. Every single time. Photo by Roven Images on Unsplash There's something about the way they...
7 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
Dave and I stopped into a favorite old-time soda shop on our trip last week. The kind of place that still makes hand-scooped shakes, malts, and sodas the real way: actual ice cream and a long spoon, because it's so thick you need the spoon. We indulged. Completely. And sitting there, I kept thinking: it's these small things. Memories you've made before and choose to make again. The particular joy of being close enough to someone to share something ordinary together. Connection you can only...
14 days ago â˘Â 2 min read
Have you ever walked into a room and felt like everyone else got the memo, and you didn't? Last week started there for me. That hollow, slightly embarrassing feeling of being the odd one out. Not excluded exactly. Just off to the side. But God had other plans. By the end of that same week, Dave and I had found a whole new family. Complete strangers became beloved people, right in front of our eyes. Once again, God proved himself faithful in the most unexpected settingâa cruise ship, of all...
21 days ago â˘Â 2 min read
Dave and I are here this week serving with Inspiration Travel, and this place never gets old. Towering mountains, quiet water, air that feels like a gift. Getting to serve others as they experience it for the first time? Pure joy. Here are a few pictures. Would you say a prayer for us as we serve this group? We'd love that. â¤ď¸ Whatâs Been On My Heart Early one morning, Bible open, I found myself back in Psalm 119. Verse 160 leapt off the page: "The very essence of your words is truth; all...
28 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
The last couple of weeks have been a beautiful whirlwind. Graduations. A cousin's surprise appearance at the party. Tournament sidelines. Dave and I are so grateful that God provides the health and the means to show up for the people we love. 𼰠Watching our grandchildren step into adulthood stirred something in me I want to share with you. Whatâs Been On My Heart Every generation thinks its struggles are new. They arenât. Children bursting into adulthood bump up against their parents. They...
about 1 month ago â˘Â 1 min read
This week I said no to something I genuinely wanted to do. Not because it was bad. Not because someone guilted me into it. But because my body told me to stop, and for once, I listened. I'll be honest: I didn't want to. The to-do list didn't care that I was running low. The calendar didn't rearrange itself out of compassion. And the part of me that likes to push through? She had opinions. But real self-care isn't always a bath and a candle. Sometimes it's the harder, quieter thingâchoosing...
about 2 months ago â˘Â 2 min read
After weeks of gray skies and steady rain, the sun finally showed up this week. Dave and I walk just about everywhereâit's our primary mode of transportation. We walk in the cold, the rain, and the cloudy, windy days, so these last few days of sunshine have been a real treat. đ At one point on a recent walk, I stopped mid-stride, closed my eyes, and turned my face fully into the warmth. Just stood there. Soaking it in. Letting it replenish what the long, gray stretch had quietly drained. That...
2 months ago â˘Â 2 min read
Last week, Dave and I attended a long-anticipated weddingâvirtually. And once again, we found ourselves praising God for the gift of technology. I'll be honestâI have a love-hate relationship with technology, especially when it doesn't extend grace for user error. :) But here's a fun fact that still makes me smile: almost 19 years ago, Dave used semi-brand-new technology called Skype to connect our sonâwho was living in Austriaâto our daughter's wedding in Colorado. People at the wedding...
3 months ago â˘Â 3 min read
Well, we finished our taxes and got them filed. Phew! Anybody else feel like this is a slog through knee-high mud each year? As much as I dread the work and learning the results, every year I see how God provides. Whether that's an unexpected refund or discovering we have remaining taxes due, we've always had the resources we needed. God always shows up right on time. Oh, by the way, in my family, tax day means celebrationâit's my brother's birthday. âşď¸ I much prefer that party. Whatâs Been...
3 months ago â˘Â 2 min read