Baseball teammates hive-fiving each other

Emotional Enemies

Gratitude and guilt are emotional enemies. So are joy and jealousy. These emotional enemies make playing the game of life difficult to enjoy. They are competitors of one another. These conflicting feelings show up when people who know each other want the same thing, but only one receives it. Take friends applying for the same…

Characters from the Wizard of Oz

Dorothy Said It Best

Traveling is great, and I’m blessed to do a good deal of it, but I always look forward to coming home. Dorothy said it best when she clicked her red ruby slippers together and repeated, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” She was right. The young girl from Kansas was in…

Childhood

Not A Kid Anymore

Walking passed an elementary school the other day, I overheard part of a conversation between two young girls. Matter of factly, the first girl said, “I’m not a kid anymore. My childhood is over.” To which her friend replied, “No, it’s not! You still have three more years!” I’m guessing the girls were wrapping up…

Blue splattered paint

Leave It Like It Is

There is a song from the late 1980s by David Wilcox called “Leave It Like It Is.” https://www.google.com/search?q=leave+it+like+it+is+lyrics&rlzThe song is about a jar of blue paint that falls off a kitchen table and breaks. In the splattered mess, the homeowner sees beauty. Instead of cleaning up the spill, the paint is left to dry. What…

Doodles

Nothing More Than Doodles

Pinned to my office bulletin board are several of my daughter’s drawings. To Emily they’re nothing more than doodles whipped out during math or English class. To me, they’re treasures of her artistic talent. Had I not stumbled across them laying about the house she would’ve tossed them into the trash without another thought. It…

Santa Suit hanging

The Holiday Hangover

I think it’s safe to say we’re all feeling the holiday hangover. I don’t even mean the overindulgence of cocktails. I’m talking specifically about the emotional and physical toll of the holidays. As exciting as the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is I’m always ready for it to be over. It’s time to…

Sidewalk chalk drawing of a heart with the word Thankful

Thank You

I’m taking this opportunity to say “Thank You” to you. Thank you for your friendship, support, and love. Every blog enjoyed, page read, or social media post liked is appreciated more than I can express. The enthusiasm I’ve received for my writing has been touching in so many ways. Book reviews and invitations to speak…