There is a pond off of a highway near where I live that has had a beaver lodge in it for years. This year the water level is getting lower and lower to where the pond is almost completely dried up.  When I first noticed the change I wondered why it was happening. One thought … Continue reading When Our Habitats Change

I love wind chimes! There is just something about them that really soothes my soul and makes me smile. At our home, we've been working on cleaning up the yards and gardens to prepare for the spring growth. We have this set of wind chimes in one area and, while cleaning around it, I found … Continue reading Repairing Your Chimes

In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be hard to have faith; faith in medicine, in government, in one another and in God.  So much presses down on our minds and hearts, threatening to undo us if we give into it.  We are fearful for our loved ones to be healthy, worried for … Continue reading Still Confident

In the 43 years I've lived I can honestly say that this is one of the strangest and most unknown periods.  The worldwide impact of and response to the coronavirus is jaw-dropping.  We are having to isolate ourselves from our jobs, our schools, our friends, our families and more.  It is so very easy to … Continue reading Finding Presence In Darkness

I've made a significant change in my life recently.  After eight years of praying over it, spending a lot of time and energy on it, building it into a successful business and ministry, I have closed the doors on my Thirty-One Gifts business.  Whew!  What a big transition for me as well as for my … Continue reading Resting Doesn’t Always Mean You’re Tired

Recently our youngest daughter was found to have a severe dairy intolerance. This has caused us to do a lot of research into dairy alternatives and to pay a whole lot more attention to the ingredients in the foods we consume. Did you know there is dairy in hot dogs?? While there are a lot … Continue reading Checking Our Intolerances

Today is my and Jay's 16th wedding anniversary.  16 years.  Wow!  In many ways, all good, it feels much longer than that.  I may not have grown up planning my wedding and fantasizing about my dress but I did grow up longing to have a loving, actually cherished, relationship with a man from who I … Continue reading The One Whom I Love

It happened again yesterday. I heard of a friend's loved one who took his own life. With that, I knew I just couldn't NOT say something. In the last year I have known eight people who have attempted/considered/acted out suicide. It is an issue that is groaning to be heard and seen. This isn't contained … Continue reading Be the “Extra Strength” in His Pain Relief

While driving around one day I saw a squirrel standing beside the road, right beside the road. Its back was to the road but it seemed to still see me approaching out of the corner of its eye. I thought, "Here we go. Road kill." I braced myself for the squirrel to run into the street … Continue reading Being Chill is Hard

I am so drawn to hummingbirds and could watch them for hours. Each May I look forward to prepping our feeders for their arrival. These beautiful creatures are so tiny that their life would seem simple. In fact, the nectar we make for them is called simple syrup. I feel like they enjoy simple yet … Continue reading A Hummingbird Life