It takes grit to make it through life. Grit is more than an idea. It’s a practice that can be applied every day, especially the tough ones. Once you know the recipe for grit, there’s nothing you can’t handle. Grit has many ingredients, but there are four main components: God, Resilience, Integrity, & Toughness. The…
When my daughter was about three years old, she pooped in the bathtub. You read that right, she left a turd in the tub. I seized the opportunity to make the moment a teachable one. She knew better but had done it anyway. On discovering the gift as the water drained, I asked her why…
We’re all familiar with the little, rotating circle in the center of our screens, which signifies a device is processing. Our patience gets tested when the command isn’t completed on demand. Often, we’re tempted to speed up the process by pushing buttons. The more buttons we push as the icon spins, the more of a…
While loading a Teflon pan into the dishwasher the other day, I noticed the label “Dishwasher Safe, Handwashing Recommended.” It got me thinking about how often people choose convenience over care. Humans take the easy route over what is better when given the chance. The rush to accomplish as many tasks as possible fuels our…
Learning our ABCs is the beginning of learning how to communicate. They are the foundational building blocks upon which languages are built. Once the alphabet is committed to memory, one can never unlearn it. When letters are combined, they hold meaning. Acceptance, Boundaries, and Communication were the ABCs of 2023 for me. Combining these life…
We all say it, “Next year’s gonna be…” The adjective placed at the end of the sentence depends on the person speaking. For some, saying goodbye to the close of a year approaches too fast. For others, the start of the New Year can’t come soon enough. The closer we are to December 31, the…
Saying what you mean to say requires intention and attention. Choose your words carefully, for they can be spoken wrong or received wrong. Thinking before speaking can be the difference between saying what you mean or having it all come out differently than you intended. I learned first-hand the truth of the importance of saying…
It’s easy to forget to show ample appreciation to those closest to us. The people we interact with daily and share the minutia of our lives are the ones who most need to be sprinkled with gratitude. Our daughter did just that when she arrived home from school the other day. She gave my husband…
Evergreen forests are home to a variety of pines. These needled trees retain their beautiful shades of green year-round. Their never-changing color makes them appear strong and healthy. Despite growing to soaring heights, pine trees are deceiving in their stature. Their strong branches can support a heavy snow load. But they can easily be uprooted…
Safety instructions offered by flight attendants before take-off are, for the most part, ignored. Their words are heard but not really listened to. The directions are to “Affix your oxygen mask first, before helping others. Even if the mask does not inflate, air is flowing.” Thankfully, most of us haven’t had to heed the warning,…