So, where did I leave off?  Oh, that’s right, the tornado.  It took down a large portion of the tree in our front yard, almost hitting our house.  We had to clear it quickly.  Neighbors pulled together and we got our car out of the garage to make it to the incredibly important appointment I… Continue reading Downed Branches, Hospitals and New Growth

Sometimes when we start a journey, a bend in the road can give you a totally different view of the scenery. It was a Thursday evening a few weeks ago, when I found myself sitting across from a specialized psychologist.  She was a PhD with an aptitude for diagnosing a wide array of conditions.  I had spent… Continue reading Tornadoes, Lenses, and Labels

In remembrance of a truly remarkable woman I was blessed to call friend.  A few years before she passed she approached me about co-writing her story with her.  However, at the time she was busy fighting cancer and there was not enough time to undertake the project beyond a few conversations.  I’m going to honor my obligation in… Continue reading Eat, Drink and Celebrate Sheri 

I’ve been struggling with a heavy heart lately… I’m not quite ready to delve into a larger discussion of this topic quite yet.  But someday maybe this can serve as a jumping off point for a larger exploration. There are almost no guarantees given in this life.  However, there is one inescapable one.  It’s that one day our… Continue reading Stories, Characters, and Endings 

I like to dabble in expectations of outcomes quite a bit.  It’s dangerous territory for me as I have a penchant to go to negative and dark places with worst-case scenarios under the guise of “being prepared”.  But sometimes, every so often, the pendulum that is life swings into the fortunate, “I didn’t see that coming “realm… Continue reading Rough Seas, Road Trips and Surprise Endings

Recently someone I’m connected with on social media posed a question that made me think.  It was a simple question, posed frequently by many over the course of time, but on this day, it caused me to pause my scrolling.  I jotted down the question, and didn’t add a comment, because I knew this was something that… Continue reading A Question, Gratitude, and Today’s Answer

Several years ago, when my husband and I still owned a Jeep, we would go on off-roading trips organized by a tour company and were at different locales throughout the US.  These trips were designed to test our mettle with varying levels of difficulty and beautiful regional scenery.  One such trip taken many years ago I still… Continue reading A Jeep, A Guide, and The HILL

Lately I’ve been dealing with grief over the passing of a beloved pup.  Sadly, life by its very nature is finite.  The condition of life is a story that always culminates in some sort of ending.  How good the story is, how memorable by others, we won’t be around to find out.  However, when I eventually leave this earthly… Continue reading Storytelling, Trouble and Bandit

Sometimes reminders of the past crop up in random ways. A friend’s daughter recently faced an unplanned setback and is contemplating her future. For me, it was a totally relatable experience. When I was her age, I too faced a crossroads in my path. I’ve faced a lot of crossroads in my path over the… Continue reading Derailed Dreams

A chance remark among friends led me to pause and think about the purpose behind this blog. Valid question! You may even wonder whether to keep reading at this point. However, I can provide some answers, not all the answers but a few. Answering the who, what, when, where and why is a benchmark of… Continue reading Who, What, When, Where, Why