Power Plays One of the truest tests of someone's character is how they handle any power that is given to them. Some people use it to get what they want. They bully. They coerce. They blame. They take advantage of anything and everything their position of power presents. They are focused on making a difference…
The day after Labor Day, my hubby and I took some friends to the Point Defiance Park. We decided to go visit the rose garden. And they have dahlias there. And fuchsias. And we spent a couple of hours walking around among all of these amazing blooms. I got to smell a bunch of roses. …
I've never had a good relationship with my body. I haven't had an eating disorder. I wasn't a child beauty pageant contestant. I didn't participate in any sort of extracurricular activity that you would think could lead to issues with my body. Rather, I was raised in a very conservative Christian home. We talked about…
I love tea. It all started with the peppermint tea my mom gave me as a baby to calm my tummy. I stuck mainly to herbal tea until I was through college. I made it through college without coffee! That's because caffeine was a thing that we just didn't do. It was one of those…
When I was 10, we moved into an apartment that had a gas furnace in the floor between the bedroom I shared with my sister and my brother's bedroom. There was no door. Just a curtain. And that furnace made all kinds of noise, especially at night. I don't think I dreamed about fire or…
Before you ignore this post and write it off as too legalistic or something like that, keep reading... I was pondering things, as I do, this morning. My brain likes to ponder things. And I was saying one of my morning prayers as I was getting ready to go outside to let the chickens out…
I randomly stumbled on this series because they were all available right away on my library's app. I was hooked. I couldn't listen to any other books in between. I got through them as fast as I could. If you like science fiction, this series is for you. If you like reading about impossible odds,…
I was listening to a great book last week. I listened to it first last year. It's just one of those books that deserve another listen and several more read-throughs, which is why I purchased a used copy. It's called Super You: Release Your Inner Superhero. Now, before you turn up your nose at it…
This hasn't been an easy summer. I feel raw emotionally. I've lost three uncles in the last two months. I've celebrated the anniversaries of the deaths of three grandparents. I've been places where these people should have been, where they were loved, where they were expected--places where they shone. And I've heard about people getting…
Picture this: You're on holiday (I think it's much more fun saying holiday than vacation) in Scotland and you've always wanted to visit Loch Ness. Maybe you'll catch a glimpse of Nessie. So you take a lake cruise. And when you're in the middle of the cruise--the middle of the loch--you fall overboard. The water…