For all who are weary. For all who are tired. For all who are holding your breath, waiting for another shoe to drop. I am with you. I am you. 2026. A new day. A clean slate. For the heart sick. For those exhausted by hardship and loss. A new year to try again. A … Continue reading 2026
Hope
Advent ~ Week 4 ~Love
The fourth candle. A light in the darkness. Whatever the darkness is in this season. For me loss. For others anxiety. Or fear. Or heaviness. The love candle is lit in the midst of it all to remind us that love wins. It always wins, even when I cannot see it. “Let there be light.” … Continue reading Advent ~ Week 4 ~Love
Advent ~ Week 1 ~ Hope
I did some errands last week. Pre-Thanksgiving. I was not there to Christmas shop, I just needed a couple of items. A quick run in and out I thought. However, when I walked into the door of the store I was hit in the face with hundreds of Christmas items, crowded isles, and long lines. … Continue reading Advent ~ Week 1 ~ Hope
Our Swiss Sister
We have a Swiss sister named Isabelle. She became a part of our family around 1983, because she came to live with Mom and Dad in Clayton. At 15 years old, she travelled to the U.S. on her own. She ended up at Rabun County High School, where she and Melinda became fast friends. Since … Continue reading Our Swiss Sister
Sweet Dreams
I have two memories which float through my brain when I wake in the night. They circle in my head, like planes in a holding pattern waiting on the right conditions to land. It seems they never quite touch the ground, but just keep the loop going enough to prevent my mind from resting fully. … Continue reading Sweet Dreams
Hands Off
I went to my first ever political protest on Saturday. I surprised myself, because generally I am not a political person. I don’t vote the party line. I vote for who I think is the best candidate for the job, no matter which party. Maybe this is because one of my grandfathers told me never … Continue reading Hands Off
Turtle vs. Jack Rabbit
If Mom and Dad were going to pass according to their personalities, they certainly did it. Mom with her slow pace, attention to detail, relationships that needed time, and her deep faith, which carried her. Dad with his 100-mile-an-hour personality, just-do-it-get-it-over-with style, bulldog determination, and his fierce independence. It really couldn’t be any more Mike … Continue reading Turtle vs. Jack Rabbit
The Separation
Since Mom passed in July, the most common question I’ve been asked is, “How is your dad?” Honestly, we were all worried about him, too. We knew it would be a tough transition for him. Even he knew that. He said he wasn’t sure how to be Mike without Martha. They had been together so … Continue reading The Separation
Helene
The devastating pictures from Helene have my heart breaking this morning. Some of my favorite places have been completely destroyed. I know this storm affected many states, but the crisis in NC and Tennessee is the majority of what I have been seeing. All of Western NC is cut off from the outside world. No … Continue reading Helene
Fall Whispers
I’m sitting on my writing porch in the cool of the morning. My little dog is on my lap, but today he needs a blanket and so do I. It’s in the 50s. I slow my breath so that it comes deep and unhurried. Soaking up the low humidity and temperature. There are also quite … Continue reading Fall Whispers
Michelle's Mosaic 