Four years ago, when our granddaughter Lauren was nine, we were driving to a soccer tournament when she asked, from the backseat, if we wanted to use her “future telling app”. Of course, we said yes. After all, who can resist a future telling app? Lauren proceeded to ask for dates in the future. We […]
Category Archives: Peace Full Home
Each day as I get out of bed I say, “Thank You God”. In my more aware moments, I tack on some of the other easy “thank yous”: a new day, my health, my family, etcetera. Those aren’t insincere—it’s just that they’re so darned easy to name. Sitting in my quiet (in spite of the rambunctious […]
The topic of the last three posts—a different kind of abundance—tackles the, often tough, issue of how we experience a fullness of life that’s not tied to an abundance of physical “stuff”. 11/2 part 1– initial questions, why we have so much stuff 11/3 part 2– guidelines for owning possessions, how to define clutter, the […]
This is the third installment of “A Different Kind of Abundance”. Part I (11/2) offered questions for your consideration and explanations for why we accumulate and hang onto things. In Part II (11/3) we jumped into guidelines for owning possessions and what constitutes “clutter”. Today, the discussion is going to center around organization goals to move forward. I was asked […]
Let’s pick up from where we left off yesterday with A Different Kind of Abundance, Part I. If you live in a house full of stuff that isn’t really important to you—or doesn’t reflect who you are—right now is a great time to begin imagining a home that feels full of peace (instead of full of […]
Questions for the Day How much of the chaos in our homes, do we create? How do we accomplish “peaceful” when all around us there’s pandemonium? How do we expect to experience calm when our environment is screaming “look at me“? Could you do more with less? When you look around your home what’s extraneous or […]
In 2013, I was sitting on the deck on a beautiful, Saturday morning in October. It was my quiet time with God and I heard the words “peaceful home”. Believing in divine inspiration I decided (in spite of my skepticism) to see if anyone owned the domain “peacefulhome.com”. Of course, someone did, so I just let […]
I woke up with the word “reentry” on my mind. What did it mean? What was I supposed to do with it? A few months ago, I had the rich honor of sitting with Mary—along with her daughter; my dear friend Monica—a few days before her death. Mary was ninety-six years old and ready to go back […]
My dreams get mixed-up with what’s real……wait, maybe it’s the other way around; maybe my real life gets mixed-up with my dreams. Is there actually a difference? What used to be curiosities now seem “normal”. What used to be “normal” now seems absurd. I wonder who really fits in anyway? Being like everyone else isn’t […]
The house is quiet except for the dehumidifier running in the background. We had the rainiest summer since 2011 and the rainiest September on record, in 117 years. It reminds me a lot of Portland, Oregon, where I’d visit my daughter, Erin, who lived there for a while. My prayer list is really long right […]
Part I—Danger Through the course of evolution, our brains have moved away from cave-men/women mindsets of always being hyper-vigilant—thinking that there’s likely danger right around the corner waiting to destroy us. Some of us, however, never evolve past that—we’re still expecting the next “terrifying thing” to come barreling at us, so we’re unable to ever simply […]
The box is elegantly wrapped with two layers of perfectly tied ribbon. It’s shiny and beautiful and creates a hushed, “what do you think could be in that beautiful package?” Next to it, sits an obviously previously used, dented and taped at the corners box with a stick-on bow, slapped on the top. Have you ever been […]
For the second time in a week, I woke up to painful spasms in my left leg. After I stretched and got it to “calm down”, I climbed out of bed, went to the kitchen, poured a large glass of water and decided to go outside. Even though it was only 2:40 in the morning, our […]
The waves crash onto the shore as I walk on the beach not long after the sun has decided to grace us, again, with her majesty. I don’t get too far before I see litter-—a few empty plastic bottles, a beaten up cooler, some remnants of a late-night party; all carelessly left by humans. They’re […]
Her hands were pressed tightly together and she was aware of the energy between those two hands— hands that worked hard, hands that reached out, hands that held those who were in the dark. Tears started to flow—tears that she was surprised by. After all, tears don’t change anything. She concentrated on being still, but […]
Rain is pouring down as the Bride walks to the two-hundred-year-old church. Four men, wearing yellow rain jackets, carry a canopy over her (and the beautifully embellished wedding gown with an eight-foot train). Her sister—the Matron of Honor—and her parents are all squeezed under the canopy as well. Horns blow, and people wave, as well-wishers watch the […]
If you’ve been around children, you’ve likely heard “no fair!” shouted in anger or frustration or whispered with tears running down the child’s face. “No fair” is only six letters, but when uttered in pain reads more like, “why me?” or “why not me?” “why am I the one who’s left out?” “why didn’t I get that chance […]
When I was in high school, a local furniture store gifted to all of the graduating senior girls a “miniature hope chest”. A hope chest is where, at least in bygone years, a young woman collected items—like household linens—that she’d use when she got married. Maybe the idea was that “hoping for” helped to create […]
This post is dedicated to the people who bravely share their vulnerabilities, pain and feelings of not being enough; the people who believe they don’t fit in or matter or make a difference; the people who are honest and real and speak their truth. SILENCE The night was calm, almost apathetic, just like her […]
One early morning, with the ground soaked from the previous night’s downpour, I walked to the garden and started pulling weeds. As I worked, I realized the many similarities between removing undesirable plants from our gardens and removing non-plant “weeds”—people, situations, painful memories, and hurtful experiences—from our lives. Both kinds of weed removal require effort, […]
The garbage truck came rolling down the street around 6:40, as I sat with my tea and my book, at the end of my twenty minutes of quality time with God (something I am trying to be much better at starting every day with). I watched as two men jumped off. One turned the trash […]
Tears—big, fat tears; the kind that make some men uncomfortable, and many women sigh—rolled down his cheeks. He lay on a hospital bed, his life nearing the end, spending precious moments with his daughter who sat next to him—this daughter who wasn’t his and was always his. He was only in his sixties. He talked […]
The wind howls up the mountain, washing over the house. The mewing of the cat bird, long before any other friends join the chorus, heralds the coming of a new day. The path lights in front of the home across the cul-de-sac create dancing circles of light on the wet pavement. The breeze blowing through […]
Last week, I was helping a client—who has a special place in my heart—get into the rhythm of starting the day with “God Time”. The morning after our time together I sent a note with these reminders: make a cup of tea or coffee; don’t do any “chore like” tasks other than this one—the things […]
It was 3:47 am when I opened my eyes. I didn’t know the time at first; I just knew it had to be early because it was still dark. There was no sound except for the whir, whir, whir of the ceiling fan. I lay there for a few minutes, then got up to look […]
peace full home®—intentional living 