Posts Tagged ‘kindness’
Thirty-six years and counting: a love story for the books
Today my husband, Bob and I celebrate 36 years of marriage. A part-time job at a retail catalog store in a Minneapolis suburb served as the setting for our “meet cute,” and 11 months later we said our “I do’s” at a Twin Cities courthouse on a blustery afternoon. The rest has unfolded into a…
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A humble life: considering others through intentional acts of kindness
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. ~ Philippians 2:3 Although I’ve been blessed with a 36-year marriage to my real-life hero, Bob, a sweet friendship with our daughter, Bailey Ann, plus wonderful family, friends and dreams come true, as another birthday sneaks up…
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Set apart: shining your light before others
In the same way, let your light shine before others… ~ Matthew 5:16 The other morning, I approached the town’s postal clerk and asked, “What’s the good word?” “Obnoxious,” he replied, eyes twinkling. “And why is that?” He seemed to contemplate my question. “Because that’s what I am.” We laughed, then engaged in small talk…
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Improving the human condition: harness your superpower
What if I told you that everyone has at least one superpower? Does your mind automatically think of a popular masked comic book hero sporting colorful tights, an awesome skill and a flashy sidekick? Or do you liken a superpower to your God-given strengths and/or talents? Whichever camp you’re in, superpowers might be directly observable,…
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Summer blog series: extending hope by giving back
Giving back involves a certain amount of giving up. ~ Colin Powell Thank you for joining me for week no. 6 and the last installment of my summer blog series. Although I’ve barely made a dent in the number of ways to extend hope, I hope the posts have inspired you. Click here to catch…
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Summer blog series: extending hope through acts of service
Sometimes it’s easy to lose faith in people. And sometimes one act of kindness is all it takes to give you hope again. ~ Randa Abdel-Fattah Welcome to week no. 2 of my summer blog series! In my first post (click here if you missed it), I discussed extending hope through words of encouragement. We…
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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…
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How to find joy in the journey: a ‘retirement mentality’
Finding joy in the journey. It’s a cliché, right? Because how can you find joy when you’re digging in the trenches, managing a household, caring for an aging parent, grieving a loss — not to mention coping with global, and even local, unrest? Self-help books and speakers tout the need to detach our focus from…
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