There’s a certain music to today’s quote . . . a melody of freedom mixed with a harmony of surprise. It’s that word “Perhaps.” Remove that two-syllable word from the quote, and you change it–drastically. “I am stronger than I think I am.” There’s a whole other rhythm — a bit of pounding bass drum and blaring horns — when …
In Others’ Words: Remembered
I read today’s quote to my husband and asked, “What kind of image do you see with this quote? His immediate response: “The Iwo Jima Memorial.” Huh. Not what I was originally thinking of . . . but then it made sense. The Battle of Iwo Jima took place during World War II from the middle of February until almost …
In Others’ Words: Plans — a Fun Announcement & a Giveaway
Have you ever made plans … only to watch them unravel? I’m not talking what-are-we-having-for-dinner kinds of plans. I’m talking about what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life kind of plans. I’ve had life plans unravel. Evaporate. Combust. Let’s see . . . there was my original life plan to be a single working gal — a reporter for the Washington Post newspaper, living in Washington, …
In Others’ Words: Bruises
I bruised easily when I was a little girl. I’m not sure that I learned any significant lessons from those bruises — except maybe to walk a little slower when I climbed the stairs from my bedroom in the basement. Even now, I’ll knock into the corner of the coffee table and think, “That’s going to leave a bruise.” Lesson …
In Others’ Words: Good Friday
First the darkness . . . then the waiting . . . then the dawn . . . May you embrace His story in a new way this Easter.
In Others’ Words: Bite Your Tongue
I wanted to let someone have it last night. And I know that person wanted to say a few … um … special words to me too. But I didn’t. I could feel the words banging on the back of my clenched teeth. I could almost see them forming in a cloud above my head. But I knew once I …
In Others’ Words: Breathing
I took breathing for granted until I developed asthma. I had years of inhaling and exhaling without giving it a second thought — I mean, isn’t respiration supposed to be automatic? And then, within months of my family’s move to Colorado, suddenly my chest got tight when I worked out at the gym. No big deal, right? I didn’t have …
In Others’ Words: Fairy Tales
“Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you … “ Anybody else love that song when it’s sung by Frank Sinatra? There’s a bit of a fairy tale thread woven into my upcoming release, Catch a Falling Star. And yes, I loved reading fairy tales when I was growing up. Cinderella was a favorite, of course, but I …
In Others’ Words: Echoes
“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” (Proverbs 12:25 NIV) “Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” (Proverbs 16:24 NLT) What echoes have I left in others’ lives? Have I left a sticky mark of kind words — a bit of verbal honey that encourages someone who wants to …
In Others’ Words: Adversity
Whenever I think of Walt Disney, I think of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell and Cinderella and Snow White and happily-ever-afters and theme parks where you meet life-size characters and soar through the air on the Dumbo ride . . . you know, fun stuff! And then I read today’s quote and I thought, “Really? Walt Disney got kicked in …