Saturday Morning, January 23, 2016: I’m sitting in my “reading, thinking, praying” space in the library. From this vantage point I can see the snow-covered, front lawn right outside the windows. On the other side I can see through the french doors that open out onto the deck. The snow is at least 14″ high already. […]
Category Archives: Peace Full Home
Years ago, I had the privilege of attending a wedding where the bride and groom, as well as many of the attendees, were deaf. While the hearing folks were quiet during the service, others moved around making sounds unheard to them. They also clapped loudly when anything significant was signed—that was their “Amen”. It was a rich experience—one […]
Born on January 9th, 1958, my birth date in “short numerical notation” is 1/9/58. My date of birth and year of birth the same! That’s incredibly rare, and because of that, I expected that when I turned 58, the day would be incredibly meaningful because of the numerology behind it: 1/9/58…1958…turning 58. But, the day I looked […]
My daughter, Erin, took me on a cruise with her last month. One morning, as we were sitting in the dining room for breakfast, we overheard a conversation. A gentleman walked up to a table where two young men, who were probably in their twenties, were sitting. He looked upset and asked why they didn’t […]
A lot of us spend a considerable amount of time trying to create “perfect”. The problem is that we are NOT perfect beings. If our expectations are so high that we can’t accept anything except perfection from ourselves or those around us, we need to figure out how to see things from a different perspective. […]
Last week I was talking to someone about LIFE. Yeah, I know, that’s an awfully big topic, but we weren’t tackling the “big picture”, just little clips of it. After that conversation, I decided that I wanted to write about the “Shut Up and Deal Dance”. Then, as I sat down at my desktop this […]
We’re accustomed to assigning labels to things based on how WE feel, or what we think is “in good taste”. We might say, “that vegetable is too bitter”, “that color is just awful”, “that outfit is so tacky”, “that hairstyle is really unattractive”, and so on and so on. We judge, based on our personal […]
When I was young, there was a game called “Red Light, Green Light”. One child was the “traffic light”, and stood facing away from the other players. The rest of the kids lined up about 6 feet away from the “light”. In the game, the child who’s “it” yells “green light!” and everyone runs toward […]
My granddaughter, Lauren, read me a story this morning, about the devastating tornado of 2011 that struck Joplin, Missouri. “The Evil Swirling Darkness” is a narrative of a family that lived through that twister. One of the three children was on the way home with his Aunt, Uncle and cousin when it hit. The truck they […]
On Thursday I fell. I wasn’t being careful and I slipped on a wet floor. My feet flew out in front of me and bam- there I was flat on my back. My head hit the floor pretty hard, and bounced up and then back down to add insult to injury. I lay there for […]
This post has been on my mind for a long time. It’s been on my heart for even longer. My sincere prayer and hope is for Peace Full Home to be uplifting and hopeful in a world that has its fair share of challenges. I want this blog to be a harbinger of calm and […]
The pear tree that I planted over a decade ago is heavy with fruit right now. I didn’t make the time to “thin it out” as I should have and, when I looked out the window this morning, I noticed the tree loaded down, its branches straining under the weight of hundreds of pears. A […]
After another night of bad dreams, I woke up tired and disoriented, trying to shake off the dark, pulling myself together, and literally curling into a fetal position. I don’t understand the crazy that goes on in my mind. Sleep should be regenerating, not a fear-filled marathon. I’m amazed to hear friends say, “I lie […]
Last week I was pruning the hollies on one side of the yard. We planted them in the fall of 2013 as evergreen, privacy trees between our property and one that is owned by a utility company. There’s always been a “much less-than-attractive” building on the acre next to ours, but a few years ago a BIG […]
We’re in the midst of a major renovation project at the house. We hired out a few of the trades to do the major plumbing and electricity fit-outs as well as the taping and mudding of the sheetrock after we hung it. (As a side note, getting drywall to look great is a true art!) For […]
Monday, June 15, 2015 7:15 am I’m sitting in a waiting room, in a hospital, while my daughter Erin goes into surgery for the second procedure in a month. The first time it was diagnostic as the surgeon looked for signs of cancer by taking biopsies. This time we’re praying for a “we got it all”. […]
When I was young, “cry uncle” was an expression I heard from time-to-time. I didn’t understand it and, thankfully, was never at the mercy of someone who taunted me to say it. Thinking about why, and when, we choose to “give up the fight”, the idiom came back to me. “Cry Uncle!” is a command issued from a […]
The irises next to the deck are coming up. They were my Mom’s. She dug them up for me the year before she died. They’re beautiful shades of purple and I planted them right next to my hot tub. About a dozen years ago, I bought the hot tub when I was renovating the house […]
Our dear friends Betsy and Sam recently moved to a beautiful area in Georgia. Larry and I just got back from visiting them for a few days. On the way to the airport, to fly home on Saturday evening, we hit a major traffic jam. By the time we got to the Atlanta airport we […]
This morning I woke up long before the sun was rising. That’s not unusual since I don’t sleep well. I lay in bed thinking about the day to come, then decide to get up. I walk into the bathroom, close the door and flip the light switch. NOTHING HAPPENED. My first thought was that, “while we were working on […]
Easter is a day when practicing Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. My faith community had an especially poignant service. Not only did three people share stories of change (types of resurrections) occurring in their lives, we celebrated a beloved couple who will be moving away. There was laughter and celebration and singing. There was reflection and […]
Yesterday morning, when I went to church, the streets were slippery. I didn’t anticipate that. There was light rainfall coming down, but the road in front of my home looked fine. I didn’t realize that the streets were covered with ice until I was out driving and my brakes were “grabbing”. I drove very slowly and […]
In 1963, Andy Williams recorded a Christmas Song that starts with “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. This IS a wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, it also seems to be a time of year when many of us end up overwhelmed, exhausted and burned out. Last week I wrote about attainable goals. […]
Tomorrow is “Veterans Day”, a holiday that honors every veteran who has served in any branch of the United States of America Armed Forces. Without people who make the sacrifices involved in “protecting and honoring” our reality would be very different. Tomorrow, November 11th, also marks thirteen years and two months since “911”. September 11, […]
You’ve probably heard the expression “you’re full of it!” When someone says “you’re full of it”, to another person, what he’s really saying is, “you’re lying”, “you’re making stuff up”, “you’re exaggerating”, or “you’re pompous”. I’ve never heard that expression mean “you’re full of great ideas”, “you’re full of inspiration”, or “you’re full of honesty or […]
peace full home®—intentional living 