Spring allows us a beautiful opportunity to push the reset button and start anew. For the past few years, I have been doing the bare minimum outside, while I tended to things that were more urgent and a higher priority inside our home. This past weekend, the yard received a thorough and much-needed reset. Although my body continues to feel the joys of the manual labor, my mind has renewed energy from a weekend of fresh air, task completion, and beautification. The same is true with the inside of our house. Every season provides an opportunity for renewal and…
As I walked into Cooper City Church, I immediately looked at the person who invited me and smiled. Using nonverbal communication, her eyes lit up, telling me, “I told you so.” I flew in for the weekend to spend time with her and Jesus. The weekend did not disappoint, but the highlight was the undeniable feeling of the Holy Spirit as you entered this church. It felt like the Holy Spirit opened the door and greeted us. As we moved closer, it drew us in and ignited inner peace. Every person who engaged with us, I counted five, carried a…
Benjamin Hall was purposeful in his determination to live. “My God, you were gone,” said his surgeon, Dr. Grygorovskyy. “You shouldn’t be here. It is a miracle that you are.” A missile attack nearly killed Hall as he was covering the war in Ukraine for Fox News in 2022. One year after the near-fatal attack, he was back on the job, and 614 days from the attack, he was back in Kyiv on assignment (Hall, 2025). In his book Resolute, “Hall reflects on the key factors that allowed him to survive the deadly missile attack, endure multiple…
Any questions that cloud my mind regarding others are typically the first warning signal of something that I need to work on myself. I find that when something judgmental comes to my mind, it is a learning tool that I can use to think about and adapt to my life. If a fleeting judgmental thought crosses my mind, I take note and try to take that thought and put it back on me. When my mind is alerted to someone who acts prideful, instead of addressing the person, I look to myself to eliminate that type of behavior. If my…
Acceptance for many of us is seeing before believing. But the beauty of our faith is believing without doubt. There are many things we do in our daily lives that strengthen our faith and the faith of others. Living life and accepting others with love have proven to be instrumental in my journey. Not simply saying the right words, but following through with compassion and meaningful actions. Taking a moment before things get nasty to better understand the perspective of others. Before saying something I regret, I say a quick prayer for guidance and perspective. I ask Jesus to speak…
Sometimes it seems easier to escape into something routine, exciting, or new instead of addressing the issue. Avoidance creates much stress and anxiety in the world today. I was taken aback when I heard the statistic that over our lifetime, between 12-18 years of our lives are spent on our phones. Although I see many advantages of technology, to me, hours of scrolling through unnecessary information seem to be an escape from being present, avoiding the unknown, the silence, or the discomfort of being present in the moment. It might not be technology for all of us. Some of…
When I consider that our pets completely rely on us, it makes sense that they might have a fear of the unknown. They sense clues that something is different, but have no knowledge of what or for how long. Over the last three years, our dog has been a bit spoiled by the fact that someone, mostly me, has been in the house 24/7. Our dog saw my suitcase and started to get a bit clingy, knowing something was up. One of my neighbors takes great care of her when I am away, but it has been numerous years…
Although I don’t dwell on my imperfections, I have an abundant supply. One of the many things I am grateful for is that I have people in my life who love me, with my strengths and flaws. My closest friends are those who can laugh with me at all my ridiculous habits. Never making fun of me, but instead they bring humor to my otherwise crazy moments. If someone is laughing at me, I simply remove myself from the toxic environment. Imperfections are all around us, it is how we manage the imperfections that is important. I was vividly…
Surrounded by beautiful people, but I still feel alone. I am talking, laughing, and contributing, but alone. How is it that we can be surrounded by people, maybe even friends, but still feel lonely and alone? Is it because I’m not giving the relationship all that it needs or maybe the relationship is not fulfilling me? I find these questions often as I join in fellowship with various friends and acquaintances. It’s very easy to feel alone amongst people, even when the people are beautiful, kind, people. I believe part of it is because we’re searching for…
When I start questioning what others are doing around me, I look inward with self-reflection. Am I participating in the things that I am questioning in my mind? Are my actions and words congruent with my values? I look to avoid carrying around anger and immediately replace it with compassion. When I step back and evaluate with love, I become more understanding and regain my inner peace. Disappointment might show up for a moment, but I quickly move to encouragement. The situation might not be pleasant, but through prayer, I am guided back on path. I have to listen…