Where the real work happens: making the most of your ‘not yet’
In my inaugural post of 2023, I feel obligated to say something meaningful as we usher in the new year, so here goes: If you’re like me, and living in the space of “not yet”—waiting for your health to improve, your bank account to multiply, your job situation to change, to take that dream vacation,…
A recap of 2022: more than checking off the ‘dones’
In my next to final post of 2021, I recounted the milestone moments of my past to (hopefully) better inform a future grounded with intention. This served to help me recall goals accomplished, new dreams I dared dream, as well as lessons learned. While I can add up similar highlights achieved in 2022, what interests…
A Christmas wish: encountering agape love
With Christmas right around the corner, my gift to subscribers is an opportunity to win an Amazon eGift Card. If you haven’t already signed up for my emails, you can still enter this month’s raffle by clicking here. It’s my way of saying “thank you” for supporting my journey on the path toward publication, my…
Another trip around the sun: gifting grace
Wasn’t it just yesterday I blogged about my birthday—living with intention, dreaming new dreams, stepping outside of my comfort zone? Life looks vastly different today than it did last year (you can read all about it in “After the Leap”). However, today I’m not focusing on the change of scenery. Instead, I want to share…
One size fits all: the gift of kindness
As you reflect on the past year, does a gift of kindness stand out to you—one that you either received or extended? For my husband and me, the story begins following a major household move from the Southwest Valley suburbs to Northern Arizona’s Rim Country. Three weeks after relocating to our fixer-upper cabin in the…
A firm foundation: fixing our eyes on the immovable
There is only one secure foundation…no matter what storms are raging. ~ Charles Stanley While house/cat sitting for my daughter and her boyfriend, I ventured on a solo walk close to dark. Unfortunately, I grabbed my sunglasses vs. my regular pair, rendering visibility limited. Nearly 20 minutes later, I realized I was lost so I…
Thanks‘giving’ back: appreciation in action
First, thank you for stopping by my website. I appreciate you! Secondly, if you haven’t already guessed, this month my focus is all about “giving thanks by giving back.” In fact, I will be donating $1 to a local food bank for each new email subscriber in November. If you’d like to sign up, and/or…
Attaining different outcomes: how to navigate crossroads
Since moving to Northern Arizona, my husband and I regularly explore a series of forest trails bordering our neighborhood—several of which are marked, as well as noted on our mobile apps. Others, however, reveal only worn-out grooves in the dirt, common at many of the forks we stumble across. This becomes an exercise in trial…
More than thick skin: processing rejection and criticism
Who doesn’t love to receive good news? Or how about the saying: No news is good news? What about when the dreaded rejection arrives for that dream job, much-anticipated date, financial loan or story proposal? For me, the latter hits home big time. From five-sentence summary pitches to 800+-word short story submissions, the no’s outweigh…
Catching up: permission to rest
I noticed it over a month ago during my morning walk: a tree in our neighborhood sporting a colorful top hat. In addition, the coniferous tree needles have turned into shades of brown and gold before dropping to the ground. And the morning temps on the mountain reflect the nighttime lows dipping into the 20s.…
The long haul: do not grow weary
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. ~ Galatians 6:9 Recently, I read a devotion that talked about changing how we view our problems. Instead of looking at them in their entirety, the author suggested taking one action…
When results and efforts differ: defining growth
Now that we’ve surpassed the five-month mark into our new adventure on the mountain (see After the Leap), due to a three-week setback with COVID early on—as well as multiple challenges that have taken precedence—it often seems we have little to show for our efforts. Especially when they’re not tangible or measurable; e.g., personal growth,…