• Happiness

    For the first time in awhile I felt happy. It was a feeling deep inside of a joy that spilled out that lingered for awhile. I couldn’t hold onto it and it was gone. This happened a couple of times and I was grateful to feel this happiness instead of the sadness of grief with…

    Read more →

  • I have been working on decluttering at home, and this week my focus was my bedroom closet. I find myself holding on to many items that I haven’t worn in years. I am embarrassed to say what I thought would be one bag of clothing turned out to be three, and I am talking about…

    Read more →

  • A Time of Drought

    This summer there is a lack of rainfall where I live. When there is a lack of water, the dry areas become exposed. This has been true for my yard. The yard has a sprinkler system, but it does not reach all the zones. It was not noticeable until this summer because the rain usually…

    Read more →

  • Buongiorno, good morning. On day three, we planned an afternoon Tuscany small group wine tour to the Chianti region visiting two vineyards. We decided it would be a good idea to find the place where our bus picks us up. So, after another great breakfast and fabulous coffee at our hotel, we headed out to…

    Read more →

  • Buongiorno, today is a beautiful day in Florence. The itinerary today is an afternoon tour of the Cathedral and Duomo and an opera later in the evening. We begin the day with a wonderful breakfast that our hotel provides. I especially love the coffee and croissants, they are the best I have ever had. The…

    Read more →

  • Buongiorno! Good morning, follow me the next nine days as I write about our travels to the beautiful Tuscany region of Italy. My husband and I planned this vacation to celebrate 30 years of marriage. After much research of various destinations, we chose to spend our time in Florence, Italy. It was a decision based…

    Read more →

  • A Moment Shared

    The extraordinary can be found all around. It is an amazing thing when someone shares a part of their story with you. It seems to begin with ordinary conversation, but ends up going to a deep and profound place of emotional and heartfelt sharing. It is an invitation into the moment; to be present and…

    Read more →

  • The Words I Speak

    Words are powerful things, they can either lift up or tear down, they can encourage or discourage, they can bring peace or discord, words are important. They can be uttered in haste with little thought or be deliberate with concern. It is definitely something I strive to work on daily; to stay close to the…

    Read more →

  • Rise Up

    He took the child by the hand and said, “Talitha Koum”, which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise”. Mark 5:41 Lord, when I feel like the enemy has knocked me down, You call me to rise up. Your words are like honey that soothe my weary soul. I stand, but I am unable…

    Read more →

  • It is hard to believe that my dad is gone. It has been over two weeks, and it still seems like a dream; a surreal time I am in. It was a shock five years ago when his diagnosis of cancer was revealed. We knew it was terminal and were not sure how it would…

    Read more →