Today is the day I’ve been anticipating for the past eight months, the day we move into our new home in Michigan. It’s the end of a journey but also the beginning of a new one. My husband Ken and I started planning his retirement last fall as we vacationed in Michigan where he grew up—and where we met and fell in love. As we cycled along one of our favorite bicycle trails near the … [Read more...]
When We Trip and Fall Flat On Our Faces
Confession: I have a tendency to trip and fall. Yes, if anyone in my family is going to trip over a step or crack or stray rock, it's usually me. In fact, I did just that last weekend at a wedding. After the ceremony and pictures, I pushed open the heavy wooden door of a beautiful old chapel. I lifted my face to bask in the bright spring sunshine, the warm breeze, and the waft of blooming … [Read more...]
A Stitch in Time
I am an avid cross-stitcher. When I can find time, that is. I love creating art with needle and thread. My best friend in high school is the one who got me hooked. She and I both worked in a little California tourist town called Solvang one summer, and we found part-time jobs in needlework stores. I might have been forced to wear a peasant blouse and a red Danish corset covered in flowers, but I … [Read more...]
Reflections on an Empty Page (Guest blogger Janice Thompson)
As I sit with pen in hand, ready to face the stark, white reality of the empty page, I find myself consumed with thoughts that pull me away from my task. “Am I writing out of passion?” I wonder, “or am I writing to fill a need?” The question brings instantaneous guilt. It also sends my mind off in a thousand different directions. I can’t help but think of Laura Ingalls Wilder in her prairie … [Read more...]
If this Writing Gig Doesn’t Pan Out… (Guest Blogger, Regina Jennings)
Every adult needs a skill set that makes them valuable and employable. Sure, I love being an author, but there are no guarantees in this business. If this doesn’t last I must have something to fall back on, some skill I can rely on to contribute to the family coffers. That’s why I keep my training current so I’m prepared to, in an emergency, go back to the lucrative career of...weighing … [Read more...]