Transplant shock: handling transition
Whether it’s a new town, home, vocation or church or even where you shop for groceries—or all of the above!)—transplant shock is a thing (access my latest email on that topic here). As my husband and I adapt to all the “new” in our lives, I’ve discovered something: routine no longer supports me in the…
Unpacking the ‘feels:’ shedding the old for the new
A couple months ago, I announced my “retirement” (I use that term loosely!) and spent five weeks preparing for my replacement. During that time, I also entertained out-of-town family, my husband and I sold our home and began searching for “new digs,” I continued submitting writing samples and stories (sold one!) and organized a moving…
The in-between space: how to bridge the gap
Prior to the final move to our wooded property in Northern Arizona—both vehicles loaded down with last-minute household items, clothes and the contents of our fridge and freezer—my husband and I spent a week wrapping up loose ends in the Southwest Valley. It proved an ongoing challenge to stay present when half of our belongings…
Let in the light: combating darkness
Ever notice how—when darkness draws near—doubts creep in? Yet, in the light of day, with the sun streaming through the windows, worries and unfounded fears fade away. This has been my experience for years, so I purpose to wait until morning to make big decisions. Scripture says that sorrow may last for a night, but…
After the leap: beginning a new journey
If you follow my weekly blog posts and receive my Always the Write Time emails, you’re privy to a fresh leap of faith my husband and I recently took. Rather than live with a retirement mentality, we prayerfully chose to retire “early” (by social security standards). We also sold our home and packed up our…
Two are better than one: sharing our burdens
Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. ~ Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a A couple weeks ago, my husband and I were acting out the bad-cop, good-cop scenario during a situation wrought with adulting. You know the kind: big decisions with life-altering consequences. On one day, I’d be…
When you achieve happy-ever-after: what comes next?
The less time you spend dreaming up a world of happily ever after, the more time you’ll have to actually live… ~ Abby McDonald When you achieve a dream or a goal, do you ever consider what comes next? Predictably, in fairytales and modern-day romances, the two love interests ride off into the sunset. Yet…
Choosing the right path: answering the question
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. ~ Proverbs 3:6 How do you know you’re on the right path? The closed doors—or in our case a power outage—seem obvious. Yet what about when details fall into place, doors open, it looks like a done deal and then wham!? You faceplant…
Playing it safe: making excuses or missing out?
As my feet inched closer to the edge of a recent and long-overdue leap, I looked down: no net. A vivid reminder of that morning when, as a young girl, I ascended the rungs of the tallest ladder at the public pool. Knees knocking, I shuffled across the diving board until I faced the vast…
A call to action: setting the wheels in motion
A few weeks ago, I ran across a meme on social media filled with words I needed to hear. Maybe you do, too. Basically, you wouldn’t plant a seed, and then dig it up every few minutes to see if it grew. Right? So why do we insist on second-guessing ourselves? Our hard work? Our…
Synchronicity at work: trusting the power of prayer
syn·chro·nic·i·ty | \ ˌsiŋ-krə-ˈni-sə-tē , ˌsin- \ plural synchronicities: the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events… that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality… ~ Merriam Webster In my post, “Divine interruptions,” I wrote about a power outage—an incident that occurred summer of 2021 when my husband and I…
Strength in the tongue: speaking life into our dreams
Once upon a time, a middle-aged wife and mother dreamed of being a princess. But not just any princess: one who often swapped out miles of tulle and a tiara for horse duds and Stetson. Plus, she teaches yoga and guides nature hikes on the side. Yet her biggest aspiration always entailed becoming a published…