Another day, another inner struggle to find joy amidst the rubble of the stuff from which we build our stories . Stories that tell of who we are. What we are. What we want to become. My story: I want to find joy, and oft I have tried to claim it. I have even chosen …
I wake up before 6:00 a.m. to a child stealing my pillow and a husband snoring. Happy Mother’s Day, 2012. I crawl out of bed to ready for the day of festivities…birthday present openings and birthday breakfast for the ten-year old, phone calls, church, dinner out, visits with family, church again, lesson planning for tomorrow, …
The Top Ten Highlights of My Monday (in no order of importance…) 1.) Getting up only 10 minutes late in spite of the fact that Husband forgot to set the alarm. 2.) Finishing half of my cold toast and carrying in the other half to school (to hopefully finish at recess) concealed inside an empty …
I am standing in the entryway hanging up a coat that is covered in dog hair. We started installing the wireless dog fencing system this afternoon, and poor little Lucky is now in her happy place. Her kennel. I must say, I have enjoyed her more since she started training than I ever did before. …
Sunday evening, and I am finally ready for the weekend to begin. To begin again, that is. How is it that we are able to completely press speed dial when it comes to Friday through Sunday, but the rest of the week is like waiting on hold with elevator music playing in the background? Sunday …
Saturday morning, chore day. There is a to-do list as long as my arm, and I am trying to decide where to begin. The girls had a sleepover the night before, and the boys are attending a Men’s Breakfast. I relish a few precious minutes to sit, think and read before the rush. An hour …
They urgently run in the door looking for cousins. No formal greetings made, there are games waiting to be played and stories to share. Some gather in the T.V. room and get sidetracked with a show while others rush outside to the swings. Two wait impatiently for a game of Risk, two go upstairs to …
I was cleaning up after supper, when he suggested that we sit out on the veranda for coffee. I turned around and saw the box of chocolate truffles waiting as an invitation for something more, a date with my husband on the porch swing. I could feel the excuses surfacing…remnants from supper lay hardening on …
While eating lunch with a friend the other day, the topic of spring cleaning and yard work came up in conversation. I listened as she told me all the chores she had accomplished outside over the weekend, silently creating for myself a to-do list that might start to scratch the surface of jobs badly needing …
My mother and I were talking on the phone last night, and I moved from room to room doing my “end-of-the-evening” tidy up. As it was time for my son’s bedtime, I went in to his room to say goodnight and tuck him in, all while I had the phone neatly perched in between my …
I am sitting in a meeting, and the presenters have begun to speak. The topic, one chosen for its pertinence to all in attendance, should be enough to captivate the audience and compel the listening group to lend an ear attentively. We are being financially paid, by the way, to pay attention. One quick glance …
I have been thinking about things today. Deep things. I feel a little blue, so forgive me for the shadow this might cast on this essay. But permit me to say that I sometimes feel caught up in extenuating circumstances, over which I have no control, and these self-same circumstances can sometimes be enough to …