I feel certain I’m not alone in this, but I really don’t like the way I’ve been affected by the political environment this year (and I promise, this is NOT a political post!). Because of social media, I think it’s harder to get emotional distance from it. I used to brace myself for the daily […]
Category Archives: Random Observations
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share via emailTalk Prison: A Dream Gone Wrong
It’s hard to be married to a talker. I wouldn’t really know, because I AM the talker, but my kids talk nonstop, and have enlightened me on how draining it is to have so much “noise.” All. The. Time. Honestly, I find myself tiring sometimes. I’ve been trying to learn how to meditate, but my […]
Crazy Little Joy-Spreader (that I call, Mama)
This time last year, my Mom was visiting us in Massachusetts and she ended up in the hospital with a heart condition (atrial fibrillation). Thankfully, everything turned out all right, but it was a little scary. Ironically, it is not the fear that stayed with me from that experience – it was the joy that […]
The Beauty in the Blah, Blah, Blah
Maybe I’m revealing a parenting flaw here, but occasionally, the kids bring me a book, and it is a big wordy book that I have neither the time nor energy to read. So I’ll “skip” a little, and leave out a few details, to move things along. The kids can read well enough that I […]
The Blessing Of Uncertainty
My Dad, Dale Riddle, recently brought up a powerful experience that I felt compelled to share. Occasionally, God provides moments of clarity (which can also be moments that are perplexing and unsettling) that are immediately pivotal. We can no longer travel down the same road and are set on a different course (much like the […]
“A Tutor For Your Feelings” – Out of the Mouths of Babes
In my typical, can’t-help-myself pattern, I have been churning on the give-and-take of faith. We all want peace and contentment, but this seems to be a gift that comes on the other side of fear and adversity. It would be nice if God would just “dump” peace and joy (and all the fruit of the […]
Whatever It Takes
My Dad and brother are currently in Cuba on a mission trip, and that has me reminiscing about my own trip there with Dad, exactly 21 years ago (we were there from January 20th-30th in 1995). There were so many memorable moments that have stayed with me and I’m eternally grateful for the experience. As […]
Anger, Embarrassment, and God’s Irritating Grace
I saw something on Facebook this morning and, as I was getting ready to make a snarky comment, I felt God urging me to erase what I was writing and pray for the person who posted it instead. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but God can be so irritating. […]
Devotion for Episcopal Diocese of Western MA
Hey, how about this craziness? I was asked to write a devotional for the Episcopal Diocese of Western MA (this surprised me, because my writing can be a weeeee bit irreverent and crude). But I was honored to be asked and it has been a joy to follow the other writers through the Advent and […]
I’ll Take the Jacked-Up, Overloaded Jensen Tree
One of my favorite family traditions is decorating the Christmas tree! And not just because I love Christmastime – the festive decorations, the music, the gifts, the sugary treats, the “over-the-top” excitement of the kids, and (most importantly!) the celebration of the birth of Jesus — I love decorating the tree because it’s a time […]
