After gently trying to force my knee into submission since my surgery, I have decided to withdraw from the 3-Day. I have done my therapy, ridden my bike, gone swimming and gone back to a much modified Jazzercise. However, when I try to walk even one lap, it starts to ache, followed by sharp shooting … Continue reading Unmet Goals

It is my birthday, and I am sitting on the front porch swing in my pajamas. (One of the advantages to living in the middle of nowhere.) I slept till 9:00, which is extremely late for me. It’s my first weekend home in a month. It feels good to just swing in the quiet of … Continue reading Birthdays

Couldn’t stand it any longer. The humidity is low. The air is cool. I had to try it. I knew I would never make the whole lap around the lake, so I let myself off the hook mentally before I even started. Just go as far as my knee will let me. That’s all. I … Continue reading In the Cool of the Evening

I have always loved creating peaceful places. Houses, classrooms, dorm rooms, offices…wherever anyone wants me to come, I will work to make the space both functional and homey. It is fun for me, like a hobby of sorts. This weekend helping Hannah set up her apartment was exhaustingly enjoyable. However, shopping for hours, then putting … Continue reading Playing Hide and Seek with the Moon

Melt down. I had one today. It seems for the past 47ish years I have been a stuffer. That is “one who stuffs emotions, both good and bad, while smiling and nodding.” Don’t know exactly how the events of my life added up to this, but it is a fact. I am on an even … Continue reading Melt Down

So I had a dream recently. Most of you know this is not new for me. I have had dreams from the time I was very young. The first one I remember vividly was about eternity. I was about 7 years old. Since then I have learned a lot about my dreams. Some are for … Continue reading A New Dream

As I sat down in the scooter cart at Walmart today the greeter said, “You got lucky. You got the fast one.” Let’s just say I was hopeful, but his definition of fast and mine are two completely different things. In my world “fast” is more than .25 miles an hour. I could walk faster … Continue reading Walmart Scooter Racing

The majority of my nature writings are related to the mountains and surrounding beauty. I am a mountain girl pure and simple. Always have been. It’s where God speaks most clearly to my heart. However, about once a year, usually in the summer right after vacation, I write a piece or two about the ocean. … Continue reading Dancing with the Wind

1 in 10,000. That is how many women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in stage one. I am one of those. I am rare, and rarity increases the value of something. My illness did not change my value in God’s eyes, only in my own. Cancer forces you to look at the world from a … Continue reading Created For Greatness

I just had a delightful conversation with a 91-year-old friend of mine, who happens to be an award-winning poet. She and I made a magical connection several years ago when I invited her into my classroom to talk about poetry. She led the students on a lesson of discovery when they created a progressive poem … Continue reading Poetry