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It’s hard to believe that my husband and I are already marking our 28th year together! I vividly recall when we first met. I had just started attending the young adult bible study of the new church I was attending. It was during our prayer time one evening that I noticed two attractive men. One of them was zealously talking about a scripture in the book of Deuteronomy, as his head was shaking a bit. LOL. (Note: For those of you that have not read that book, it is a bit dry, b

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday - I'm still in my mid-50's! LOL. Some may say that I am now an old geezer (but, not me), some believe birthdays are just another day (I disagree), some may say that I am wiser (Which I hope is true), while still others may say CELEBRATE YOU ! I truly believe that each of us deserves to be celebrated, especially on our special day. During my younger years, I recall my birthdays being purely celebratory. I enjoyed the presents, the cake and ic

What does contentment look like for you? For a while now, I’ve been giving serious and careful thought to being content (happy or satisfied). My desire is to be content or even keeled in any situation that I find myself in, and to find my strength in Christ alone. To me, this means being calm in the midst of chaos, being at peace when dealing with difficult people, or whatever challenge comes my way. A favorite author of mine wrote “Not that I was ever in need, for I have lea

Have you ever thought about a smile, what it means and what it represents? A smile can represent a natural reaction to joy, love, happiness and well-being. I think that smiling not only reflects happiness, but I am learning that it also triggers brain activity. It is our brain's left frontal cortex that registers happiness and joy. Haven't you noticed that when you smile, others smile back at you? Certainly, a smile can be a friendly gesture; however, I also think that you a

Quite a bit has happened since the wind and fire storms began in SoCal one month ago today. The following week, I felt led to write about lightheartedness, enjoyment, and playfulness in life. I am working on the latter one, trying to lead my life with childlike wonder. LOL! Back to reality. Amidst the unthinkable losses from the unprecedented disaster from the fires, I’ve seen and heard heartbreaking stories, but also miracles and signs of hope within our former Altadena comm

From time to time, my husband and I like to check-in with each other to see how the other one is doing. In our latest catch-up, my husband asked me a basic question, “What do you enjoy doing?” Of course, he knows what I like doing, but I think that he wanted to spur some additional conversation around this. I looked at him like a deer caught in a headlight, and I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t trying to be rude, but, for me, the answer was not so simple. He asked the question

One week ago today, the windstorm began to violently blow through Southern California. So many friends and neighbors of ours, at this point, too many to count have lost their homes and their possessions almost overnight. The Altadena community that we were a part of for 11 years, was decimated over a 24-hour span. It’s heartbreaking. As I sit here safely nestled in my home, I hear the unending hum of the super scooper planes (water planes) circling above, desperately trying t

I am sitting here in our backyard (amongst all of our boxes and things), rocking the night away in my favorite chair. Three hours ago, as I was working remotely today, our power went off (or the electric company turned it off), as we are in a full-blown Santa Ana winds frenzy. For the most part, it is just windy, but then every so often, gusty and erratic wind sweeps in! This is an expression that my Grandpa Peter used a lot with my father while he was growing up. Unfortunat

Around the world, the beginning of a new year symbolizes a fresh start (or a new beginning) and a sense of hope. It’s a great time to abandon any difficulties from the previous year as well as to embrace new opportunities for the coming year. What are you hoping for or believing for in 2025? Are you planning on ringing in the new year in a special way? Although we’ve gone out in the past, my husband and I don’t typically go out on New Year’s Eve, unless we’ve been invited to

Although Christmas day is officially over, the Christmas season is not. I just wanted to take a few minutes and wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas! I hope that this is a cherished time with family and friends and in the spirit of love, joy, and reflection. I will be back to my regular posts next week.

I don’t know about you, but for me, this holiday season has been flying by. With our move at the end of October and the subsequent organizing and decluttering, I have felt like we were barely able to celebrate Thanksgiving, and then Christmas was here. I think this was the first year that I noticed Christmas decorations out even before Thanksgiving. I understand this as there is not nearly enough time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, especially for those of us that love th

It’s interesting, that the word “peace,” can mean different things to different people. “Freedom from disturbance or tranquility” is the dictionary’s definition of peace. For me, I resonate with this definition. However, what I have come to realize is that true peace is having a calmness or quiet mind, regardless of any change, uncertainty, or chaos surrounding me. Having said this, some days are easier to maintain peace or a quiet mind than others. Today was one of those dif