The Blessing of Routine
Recently I received an e-mail asking me to describe myself by answering a series of questions then send it to all my friends so they could learn something new about me. Hmmm. You think they really want to know what my favorite color is? Favorite movie? Favorite song or what I do when I get…
Read More >Parenting: 101
A new month and a new holiday—one of my favorites—St. Patrick’s Day. Why do I like it? Well, there is my Irish heritage, the “wearin’ of the green,” and did I mention it is my first-born’s birthday? Certainly, it wasn’t planned that way. In fact, my little bundle came a week early. His name, Aaron,…
Read More >7 Minutes of Terror
What part of your daily routine takes only seven minutes? Is it your morning shower? Breakfast at home? A quick stop at Starbucks? Seven minutes sounds short-quick-fast, but sometimes it can feel like an eternity. On April 20, 1999, sixteen-year-old Crystal Woodman Miller spent seven minutes of terror, crouched under a library table at Columbine…
Read More >Healthy Disorganization
The month of May has always been busy for me. Not only are there three family birthdays, but it is also the month for State Special Olympics, Mother’s Day and—drum roll, please—spring-cleaning! Yep, you read that right. Years ago, I would round up my kids, map out all the dirty chores (they didn’t know about…
Read More >Love and Commitment
June is here and “weddings” are in the air! I often wonder why so many couples choose June to exchange their vows. I need only look back at my own wedding to answer that. Trust me, March is not the best month of the year to be married, especially in a cold climate. My husband…
Read More >I Want to be a Grandmother!
When I was a child my greatest desire in life was to become a mother. Not a nurse or flight attendant like my peers. Just “Mommy.” After my kids grew up I longed for another title—Grandmother. My oldest son, however, did not see “grand-motherhood” as a worthy goal. But when Aaron married a sweet, Catholic…
Read More >Attitude of Gratitude
I grew up with an attitude of gratitude. Not that I knew it at the time. Nor did I know that my family would have been considered poor by most people’s standards. However, in our little farming community, people were judged by their integrity and character, not by the kind of house they lived in…
Read More >Merry Christmas!
Several years ago, I tossed a generic package of Christmas cards onto the table in front of my husband and remarked, “I could make a better card than this!” To my surprise, he looked at me and said, “Then do it.” Never one to back down from a challenge, I enlisted the help of our…
Read More >Everday Angels
Recently, I lost my purse. Well, I didn’t exactly lose it. I left it in a shopping cart at a Wal-Mart parking lot. Don’t even ask how I did such a thing. Suffice to say, I’m still trying to figure it out myself. I didn’t notice it was gone until I got home and reached…
Read More >Legacy of Love
I am crazy about love stories. One of my favorite ways of spending a cold winter afternoon is with an inspirational romance novel and a cup of hot chocolate. But even better than fiction are true-life love stories. My parents’ life together was a perfect example of the stuff good books and movies are made…
Read More >Gifts For A Teacher
I was barely 22 years old, straight out of college and three months pregnant with my first child when I began my teaching career. With my Army husband stationed two hundred miles away, the Tulsa Public Schools didn’t ease my stress load when they assigned me to one of the roughest junior high schools in…
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