Life – a cup at a time
What are the things that get to you? For me, it’s the little things. But it’s also little things that can get me back where I need to be. I’m one of those who, when faced with an emergency, tends to think calmly and logically, not reacting emotionally until everything is done and it’s “safe” …
We all have a story: who we are, what we’ve done, what we dream. But often we let that story be told by others, instead of telling it ourselves. When I was young, I was: Clumsy A brat Too small to do things Too young to understand Always in trouble Stupid Mean These were all …
There’s something about being in the mountains that refreshes my mind and lifts my spirits. Other wild country can do it, too, like the canyon lands of Utah, but high-elevation mountains are the best for me. It’s been three years since I’ve taken a vacation, and that’s too long — for me, anyway. Even before …
But uncomfortable doesn’t mean comfortless. Perhaps you’ve worked hard all your life to get where you are, and you feel you deserve to be comfortable now. Perhaps you’ve never known anything different. Or maybe you feel like you’ve struggled all your life and haven’t a thing to show for it but more work ahead. But …
I’ve returned to the work world just as many of my peers are about to retire and leave it behind. It’s both harder and more rewarding than I anticipated. The first question people ask is, Why go back? The simple answer is money. House payments and health insurance are the bulk of that. But the …
I was twenty years old when I learned I could be alone and strong at the same time. The Setting I was volunteering in a Christian youth hostel in Amsterdam, Netherlands, after travelling Europe for three months. In some ways my upbringing had left me naïve and vulnerable. But the year and a half in …
It’s been over a week since I put the Christmas tree up, and it still hasn’t a single ornament on it. Why? I’ve asked myself that for several days now, and — as usual — it’s complicated. We lived in Montana when I was little, and did the traditional “go get your tree in the …
Read moreO Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, Why are Your Branches So Bare?
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 …
Just because you fail at something doesn’t mean you’re a Failure (even if it is a four-letter word). Failing is a part of life, which everyone — especially parents — need to remember. After seven years of managing an RV park, I decided to go back to the “regular” workforce last year. Through a friend, …
It’s OK to be mad at God. Really. It took me a long time to figure this out. And I think it applies to everyone, regardless of your spiritual tradition, but I will speak from my own Christian background, as that is what I know best. The first time I really got mad at God, …