Life – a cup at a time
4 Things You Can Do When the Chaos Around You Gets in Your Head The world is descending towards chaos and the prognosis isn’t great. Even the Apocalypse preachers are getting louder. (But that’s another article.) Meanwhile, if you’re like me, there’s enough happening in your personal life clamoring for your attention that you feel …
Enjoy the Highs, Endure the Lows, and Keep Moving Forward The last few months have been crazy, tough, and revealing, when I’ve been willing to step back and ponder. When I started my blog GracebytheCup.com, I wanted to focus on how Grace is present in our lives in so many little ways. But the last …
Great Expectations Meet Mundane Fails I took an unplanned road trip a short time ago. It wasn’t at all what I expected or felt I needed. My husband scored a job 1500 miles away from home. He expected to be staying in a motel and took the absolute minimum. But after getting there, he found …
For Us Negative Nellies and Anyone Else Who Wants to Be More Positive I’m not an optimistic person by nature. Partly due to my personality and partly my upbringing, I find it’s easier to see the problems and imagine the pitfalls in any endeavor. But over the years, I have learned that I enjoy being …
Yes, but not on pedestals of false glory. Real heroes are real people, warts and all. There’s been a lot of talk about heroes this last year. Much of it has been good, as we’ve recognized healthcare workers and first responders for going above and beyond what most of us are willing to do. But …
“How can anyone be thankful for this wreck of a year?” you ask. My answer: it’s the tough times that we learn from the most. As I’ve begun preparing for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, it seems rather anachronous. All the families debating over get togethers, some going ahead, some postponing, others split. And that’s just …
Let me tell you the story of a nine-pound whirlwind named Star. She appeared one day during Missy’s and my regular morning walk. Small, dirty, hairy and super shy, we spotted her under a car. After a couple of weeks, I realized that she was actually staying across the street in Chapo’s yard, when she …
Even you can survive the holidays if you manage your expectations and exercise a little creativity, whether you have a crazy family, a mental illness, or are just “normally” stressed. Our lives are not Hallmark movies and we don’t have perfect families. My neighbors, for example, lost their matriarch last May, making this Thanksgiving awkward …