I believe that being courageous happens at the same time you are fear-filled. You don’t wait for the fear to vanish, gather courage in your fists, and advance. No, true bravery manifests when someone whispers, “I’m scared” and then doesn’t back down from whatever enemy stands before them. I also know that winning the day doesn’t always mean total victory. …
Loved or understood? Do we have to choose between the two? I don’t think so. When we take the time to understand someone else, isn’t that a form of loving that person? Understanding someone demands concentrated effort. Sometimes we must set aside prejudices and preconceived ideas about a person. Understanding happens when we listen. When we consider someone else more …
There is a time and a place to be dignified. But there are so many more times and places to be happy. Early in my novel writing journey, I met a wonderful group of women at a My Book Therapy writing retreat. We became friends, dubbing ourselves the MBT Ponderers — after author Susan May Warren warned us not …
I remember the first time I heard someone teach about insincerity. I was in a teen youth group, and a boy who I liked — a boy who a lot of the girls liked — spoke on being sincere. I thought he was witty and brilliant — and yes, really cute. A year or so later, I dated the guy. When …
I cried when I heard that Elisabeth Elliot died on Monday, June 15. I know I am one of thousands mourning her death even as we smile at the thought of her passing “through the gates of splendor.” Elisabeth Elliot’s 1957 bestselling book Through the Gates of Splendor told the story of how her husband Jim and four other missionaries, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, …
I live in Colorado — a landlocked state of mountains. And yes, I love it here. I remind myself on an almost daily basis to look up and see the beauty around me. The sunrises. The sunsets. The Front Range. Pikes Peak. But oh, how I savor a walk along the beach. The sand shifting beneath my bare feet. The …
… and I’m very thankful I’m here. With my husband. Visiting our good friends, Cathy and Stephen. And I’ll be back blogging after a little vacation time in Bermuda. Until then, I hope you’re having a great summer!
Patton’s statement is such a fundamental truth, there’s almost nothing to add to it: Don’t fight a battle if you gain nothing by winning. Another way to say that: Winning isn’t everything … and sometimes winning is nothing, except the ability to boast that you won. A hollow victory that echoes back at you with no lasting effect …
I didn’t play team sports much growing up. Oh sure, I played kickball during recess. I always envied the kids who could kick a “creeker” — kicking the ball hard enough so that it soared over the ravine at the end of the playground and into the woods beyond. And I participated in the mandatory team sports in gym — …
I admire persistent people. People who don’t quit. People who face failure with a “you don’t have the final say about me” attitude. Did you know that Walt Disney — who created “the happiest place on earth” — was fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas”? How about Winston Churchill, who won a …
