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The Golden Hour

The Golden Hour

Photographers love the golden hour. It is the time of day shortly after sunrise or right before sun set when the light turns from red tones and harsh sunlight to being infused with more yellow/gold tones.  The sun is low enough in the sky that a soft glow is cast and...

The Gift of Gratitude

The Gift of Gratitude

Gratitude, I think many of us if asked would say of course I am grateful for what I have but that statement doesn’t always play out in how we live our every day lives. Right? Yesterday, my husband and I went for a walk.  It was a beautiful fall day in the city of...

Plant A Tree

Plant A Tree

I know all of us have, at one point in our lives, sat in the shade of a large tree.  The canopy of branches granting us reprieve from the heat of the sun on a warm summer day. You can picture it, can’t you? But have you ever wondered , who planted this tree? Well, A...

Fill Your Kettle Before You Pour A Cup of Tea

Fill Your Kettle Before You Pour A Cup of Tea

 I have a story to share with you.. I love a good cup of tea. I was back in Colorado last week working at MOPS Headquarters - we had a lot going on and I was super busy. So after a long day, I still had some things to work on and I went to make a cup of tea. I was...

Are you over watered?

Are you over watered?

Over watered - Is that really a thing?  Those of you who know me know that I love to work in my garden and take care of my house plants.  It is very common for me to have friends ask me questions about caring for plants so I wasn’t surprised when I received a text...

Life Lessons from Breast Cancer

Life Lessons from Breast Cancer

Fourteen years !  That is how long I have been cancer free.  A lot has happened in those fourteen years.  A lot of life… to quote a favorite song of mine from Jimmy Buffet - “some of it magic, some of it tragic, but I’ve had a good life along the way.” Lying in the...

A Legacy Only God Could Imagine

A Legacy Only God Could Imagine

  The melodic sound of the violin bow dancing across the strings has always been a part of my life.  The background music to so many memories.  It began when I was a little girl and I would sit and listen to my grandpa practice his violin for hours.  I would...

Positive and Impactful Leadership

Positive and Impactful Leadership

This Covid 19 experience…It is weird and uncomfortable and at times overwhelming.  It is freeing, it is comfortable and at times amazing.  Yes, that describes my life right now in the midst of this pandemic.  It has provided a wide range of emotion and experience.  It...

3:16 Challenge

3:16 Challenge

Hi all - These days of quarantine have been challenging and I know many of you are serving our communities on the front line.  THANK YOU !  I wanted to offer a bit of encouragement. I started a challenge.  It is called the 3:16 Challenge  Why 3:16?  It is in reference...

The Importance of a Story

The Importance of a Story

I love going to the movies! I enjoy the story telling and the cinematography , the music , and of course the popcorn and Milk Duds.  I enjoy laughing and I must confess I cry easily too.  That is the beauty of a great story, it evokes a myriad of emotion....

The Reason

The Reason

I am extroverted by nature and love spending time with lots of people. I am energized by the crowd.  Sometimes; however, when I spend a lot of time with people and have lots of different conversations, I have a hard time winding down and falling asleep. ...

Traditions

Traditions

It is Thanksgiving week in the United States and nothing screams tradition to me more than the Thanksgiving holiday. We have traditions in our family and I bet you have them in yours. Where did they come from?  Are they worth passing on?  Those are the...

Choose Joy and Choose Grace

Choose Joy and Choose Grace

It is a Monday morning, not even 10 am, and I am finding myself in need of a pep talk. I woke up early today to go for a walk before work.  Ear buds in place and music turned up I began my walk on the trail.  Preoccupied with my thoughts of my youngest son...

Reflections of Summertime

Reflections of Summertime

I love to feel sunshine on my face and living in Colorado I get to experience that a lot as we like to boast that we have 300 days of sunshine a year.  Blue skies create a sunny disposition so they say.  As our summer days feel longer and the sun shines...

Laughter is Good For the Soul

Laughter is Good For the Soul

I sat in the parking lot of the post office on a cold winter morning.  I could see the long line from where I sat in my car and I was feeling grumpy about the anticipated wait.  I had a heavy heart.    Grey skies loomed overhead replacing the normal bright blue skies...

The Mountaintop

The Mountaintop

Not all mountaintop experiences happen on mountaintops. Some do – like the one we read about in Matthew 17. “Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain”. And there they had a “mountaintop” experience - we know...

Contentment

Contentment

God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning Why is contentment so hard to achieve?  A great question brought to my mind this morning as I was walking through my garden enjoying the beautiful roses that are still blooming.  It is mid...

Learning to Shine

Learning to Shine

I spent last Friday at Disneyland with my husband and two of my four kids.  What a fun day!  We crammed as much Disney as we possibly could into about seven hours.  Let me tell you a little more of the story…  We arrived the night before in LA ready for a quick...