Feb 19
What are your fighting against these days? Cancer? Addiction? Depression? Discouragement? Or what are you fighting for? Your marriage? A wayward loved one? Improved finances? Restored health? Well, as the Brits like to say: Seriously. Keeping calm in the face of impending disaster actually is a recurring message throughout the Bible. As the Israelites …
Feb 05
When I was in the hospital after my cancer surgery, a friend came into my room with a big smile and announced: “God is going to teach you great things through this trial!” I wanted to take the IV out of my arm, stab it in hers, and tell her, “You get in the …
Apr 10
My grandchildren never seem to tire of playing hide ‘n’ seek. They love scurrying around to find a “a really good place” while admonishing my husband and me to “keep your eyes closed!” Eventually 4-year-old Abby yells out “Ready!” which makes it pretty easy to follow the sound of her voice to her not-so-hidden special …
Jul 25
The word “encourage” means to inspire or fill someone with courage, spirit or hope. But how in the world do you encourage someone who is depressed? To answer that difficult question, I’d like to share some thoughts from the book New Light on Depression by David Biebel, D.Min. and Harold Koenig, M.D. “Family members, loved …
May 23
One of the side effects of my chemo is that my right tear duct was irreparably scarred thereby making that eye “water” all the time. Because of this annoying condition, which often prompts total strangers to ask me if I’m OK when they see me “crying” in public places, I’m probably more fascinated with …
Mar 14
Do you start feeling a little funky in the fall? And by the time winter arrives are you downright depressed? Does your energy level disappear during the dark and you feel sluggish sans sun? Perhaps, you like me, have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression related to changing seasons. Now I must be …
Jan 10
So are you one of many people trying to eat healthier in the New Year? I’ve seen quite a few Facebook posts touting various plans: Whole 30, Clean-Eating, Volumetrics, Eat This Not That, and the 3-Day Military Diet, to name a few. Or are you one of the scores of folks aiming to exercise into a …
Nov 14
As you can see I met Captain America recently—he actually stopped by my house the other day for a few hours. The Captain, a.k.a. grandson Benny, wanted to show me his new shield (Mommy, a.k.a. Wonder Woman-Shopper, found it in the Target clearance bin) and the pint-sized super hero clearly explained to me that …
Jun 28
You can beat this. Think positive. You can do it. Stay positive. I know people mean well when they say those things to people facing serious tough times, but I must admit they often rub me the wrong way. Many caring people uttered those kinds of “encouraging” phrases to me after …
Mar 01
I remember so well the first cancer support group meeting I attended at our community hospital. It was the summer of 1990. I was a reporter for a local newspaper and recently had interviewed Mary, the new group’s facilitator. When I showed up at a support group meeting just eight weeks after …
