Childhood memories … let’s sift through the good ones today, shall we? I know for some, the pile of happy memories is small. But we all have a childhood memory or two that we cherish. A day at the beach. An evening around the campfire, savoring S’mores. Wandering the bookshelves in the library and adding yet another book to the …
In Others’ Words: One Step Forward …
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. …
In Others’ Words: Choosing Between Love and Understanding
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 …
In Others’ Words: If You’re Happy and You Know It …
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 …
In Others’ Words: The Exhaustion of Insincerity
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 …
In Others’ Words: The Love of God and Our Limited Vision
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, …
In Others’ Words: When Moments Become Memories
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 …
In Others’ Words: Being Here for Each Other
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 — …
In Others’ Words: A Little More Peristence Pays Off
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 …
In Others’ Words: What a Laugh Can Do
It’s been a week where my emotions have teetered-tottered back and forth — up, down, up down. I never quite hit the ground hard … I always found a way to push myself back up into the air again — up, up, up. But then I’d get that sinking-back-down sensation again. I never was a fan of teeter-totters. This week …