Well, at least there’s that...

Growing up in church was very confusing. I heard the phrase “judge not, lest ye be judged” then outside of the church... no I mean right outside of the church people would be gossiping. I heard people say things like. “I knew he was no good, “ or  “I told you to watch out for her!”  What is that? Are gossiping, judgement and discernment the same thing? There's a fine line between them. They are similar , but not the same. I had a Dr use that term about a medication I needed. One variety made me sick and one helped me get better. They were similar, even in the same “family” but different. I find it interesting that margarine is said to be one molecule away from plastic.  We would never eat plastic... see it’s interesting.  Do you know that people will not believe a lie unless there is a little bit of truth in it? Think about it.  The first lie... “Didn’t God say...?” “ Well, let me tell you why...” The rest is history.  The Devil twisted what God actuall...

Yep, you read that right.  I’ve been bell ringing for the Salvation Army in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Good times! I really enjoy it.  I’ve  been singing throughout my whole shift and have seen great results. I bet you’ve seen your share of “bell ringers” let’s talk about a few. No one was harmed in the writing of this blog!  Ha! Ok. So I’ve seen the “scared to death” br (bell ringer). They don’t make eye contact, they look like they are embarrassed to give out candy. I had one lady hand me the whole strip of candy canes. Almost apologetically. I didn’t take any of them and I gave anyway. I’ve seen br’s stand in the corner , away from the door and basically hide. I’ve seen them sit behind tables as if to protect themselves. Realistically, I can understand their concerns. They are probably introverted souls that have given their time out of love.  Anytime you give with love it’s amazing! I’ve also run into a couple of “hostile takeover” br’s. Nobody is suppo...

I have heard one particular phrase most of my life. There was even a song or two written about it. One particular song was entitled,”Don’t Give Up on the Brink of a Miracle.” A truly inspirational song with a wonderful message of holding onto hope. But what I want to talk to you about today is not tomorrow’s miracle... today was full of miracles too. Can you think of something you’ve longed for, prayer for, hoped for and now it’s yours? Maybe it was a child, a home, a car, a mate, a dog, a horse... still waiting for my horse.... Just sayin’. I remember trying to get through college. I dreamt of the day that I’d walk across that platform with my own two feet and shake the Deans hand and get my diploma.  Do you know what the Dean whispered in my ear as I crossed the platform? He said, “well deserved.” That was a miracle. When I had my senior recital and needed to sing 13 songs from memory, while standing and I’d had bilateral Bell’s palsy, double pneumonia with lung failure and h...

Thank you for coming back and staying with me during my "figuring things out." So, here's what happened next. I was trying to stay afloat in every way imaginable. I was working my business and trying to go on with what was left of my life. I was absolutely alone. One day, I was driving down a road (and you may have read this before) and my car threw me into a house going 55 mph. Knocked the house off of its foundation and my car was a tin can. The engine dropped and I'm sure that had a lot to do with my survival. If it hadn't fallen, as it was designed to do, it would have crushed me completely. The ambulance and fire department workers worked fervently to get me out of the car. They ended up cutting the entire drivers side of the car off. They tried using the jaws of life, nothing, they tried taking out the windshield, the drivers side windshield, the sun roof, even the door. Nothing. I was trapped by the seat belt and that's all that was holding me tog...

Yes, you read that right. Everyone has struggles, but for some there are no words to explain what goes through the mind and body after a horrific event. I'm going to try to put those feeling into words tonight. Not just for myself, but for anyone who has (or is feeling) like I have (or do). Here are some thoughts that run through my head continually: "What was it all for?" "Why me?" "Why didn't you just let me die?" "Did I survive to see the horrors of this world?" "It has to mean something!" Before I was a "Survivor" I actually had many of the same questions. Like "What am I here for?" I bet everyone has had that question come to their mind. It makes sense. There are literally thousands of "self-help" books about purpose. It seems that most of us have no idea what our real "purpose" is. I understand that. Being a Christian I defaulted to the purpose of "Save the WORLD!" ...

The past ninety days have been a training ground for Lincoln. He's learned to adapt to my new schedule, which keeps changing. So, we created a routine. IF there's a break in that routine ....let's just say, makes Lincoln a very bad dog. Oh, don't tell him I called him a dog...shhh (he doesn't know). I worked from 3:00pm - 12:00 am for a few weeks. He was not happy, but we worked out a routine. He actually got fed three times a day instead of just two. I fed him when we woke up, I fed him before I went to work and I fed him when I got home. I also left a light on in the livingroom and in the master closet. You know, in case he needed to see his way around. Sometimes I even left HGTV on...with the agreement that he wouldn't try to build anything while I was gone. So, here's what happened one day. I fed him and left on time, but I forgot something. I forgot to leave the lights on. Now, Lincoln has a way to let me know if or when he's upset. This was a n...

As stated in my previous blogs, I was in a coma for 5 1/2 weeks. There are some things I just don't remember. However lately, those memories, albeit fuzzy at times, have been coming back to me. Some are really funny and some are not. Sunday I awoke from a dream. It was beautiful. I was married and I was calling my husband by his nick name and my children were running around playing. It was beautiful. But, then I woke up...nobody was there. It was really hard to recover from that. To say I miss the grand moments and the laughter that once was my life would be a gross understatement. But before I go there let me just tell you that it's now safe to drive on the road. I am home. Why do I say that? Well, it's late and I'm tired. It's been an exasperating day at work and I've been making growling noises at a computer all day. So, when I headed for home my car was fogged up because of the cold. Normally, the first thing I do is reach for my glasses. Although I can ...

I've written about precious moments with my children in past blogs, but I thought I’d share some more. I hope you find a reason to laugh. My oldest daughter had a gift for interpreting facts .  She would make random statements that were definitely interesting. One Sunday after church she asked a very strange question. Out of the blue she asked, “Mom, what’s a doo de pen?” I had no idea what she was talking about. Then she started singing a song from church, “In Him we doo de pen.”  It was one of her favorite songs. There was a gentleman that sang this song regularly and she called him “the doo de pen man.” Suddenly I realized what she was trying to say.  The song was in Him we "do depend!” Never looked at that song the same way again. When she was just a baby we drove from Oklahoma to North Carolina. On the way she would get fussy.  This was before car seats were required. I would  put her in the front seat (don't judge me) I would have her look out ...

Clocks: The big hand is on the 5 and the little hand is on the 6. Can you tell me what time it is? Guess what? I've found many individuals that can not tell time this way. WHAT? I heard one of them literally say, "I don't know what that means." Welcome to the digital generation. Here's another one: Please sign  your name in cursive. Response: "I don't know how." I thought the generation gap was big between my mother and I because she didn't understand the words to the songs I listened to on the radio. I thought the generation gap was huge when my mother couldn't understand my new hair style....it wasn't even a different color....just parted differently. I thought the generation gap was even bigger when Bell Bottom Pants came out and my mother didn't want me wearing them...they were too sloppy. Or how about when "ripped jeans" became a thing? I think people could hear the shudder from my mother, "Why would y...

Have you ever felt like something in your life needed  to be fixed? You think you’ve found the perfect solution only to look around and notice that everything you cared about is missing? I just graduated from 9 weeks of intense training. My goal: make an income so I don’t run out of money, pay off debts so I need less money to meet my financial needs. All good plans, great goals, but the price.. giving up time with family and friends, feeling isolated and alone, depression, anxiety, exhaustion, inability to create... is it worth it? Today I drew a picture. It’s one that someone else envisioned, but I just “ had “ to draw it. There was a little girl and Jesus was walking in front of her clearing a path through tall grass.  As the little girl traveled behind him she got distracted by a swing set and a teeter totter and some birds and the wind and she started heading toward what looked like a better path. Suddenly she turns back and she’s lost the path and sight of Jesus. S...