Life – a cup at a time
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 …
Sooner or Later You Must DO Something In the late 1970s, long before self-improvement became a thing, I was traveling in Europe after 2 years of college and struggling with what to do next. Sitting on the beach at the Black Sea, one of my companions told me the following: Say you want to sail …
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 …
But it might not be the “old dog” you expected. In this case, I’m the old dog. Like most people, I don’t like failure or admitting I was wrong, but there it was, and there I was. Here’s what happened. I shared a few weeks ago about Star, the new four-legged addition to our family. …
“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 …
I grew up in a household of scouts, and the motto Be Prepared was ingrained in me early. My dad was a Boy Scout Leader, my mom was a Girl Scout Leader, and all three of us girls were in Girl Scouts at various times. I was properly pegged 10 years ago, when I pulled …
A dream interpreted Unlike many people during the last several months, I haven’t been keen on deep cleaning, or reorganizing, or new hobbies, or cooking, or much of anything constructive. I’ve spent a great deal of my time reading fiction — my historical escape mechanism. Last week, that suddenly changed, and I found myself deep …
A Lament One moment Breath, the next it’s gone; lungs full but not of air. Bereft of loved ones’ touch They die alone. And God cries. “Use the inside lot,” the suit says. “Guards will keep the riffraff out.” Money insulates the powered from the ones they pledged to …
My first recollection of fog was after my family moved to Seattle, WA, when I was eight. Leaving to walk to my new school, fog made an unfamiliar area alien. I couldn’t see across the street — I could barely see the traffic light! Would I even find the school? Fog became a familiar force …
No, Positive Realism is living in reality with joy as the foundation. As in so many arenas of modern life, people seem to be polarized between Positive thinking and Realistic thinking, as if the two can’t coexist. One group is said to be woo-woo Pollyannas and the other is said to be mired in the …