Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
“Have you seen any of those white-crested, pot-bellied snowbirds?” one man asked us in passing. “Don’t see that one on our list; will have to write a special report,” I responded, chuckling. We were participating in the Audubon annual Christmas Bird Count. Armed with mugs of hot coffee and tea, binoculars and cameras, and our […]
Read MoreI took this candid photo of my daughter-in-law on the night of her wedding celebration – just a quick image with my Iphone. I feel like it captures her sweetness and genuine beauty. (Photo prompt from The Daily Post: 2107 Favourite)
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We came away with the expectation of adventure. We freed ourselves of material anchors and set sail into the unknown with openness, excitement, and a modicum of healthy trepidation. I knew we would encounter new landscapes, experience different foods and cultures, but I did not anticipate how travel would effect my experience of self. It […]
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“Silent!” the teacher, breaking from the lesson she had been delivering, turned towards me. I cringed, slinking down in my chair, choking on my ‘sorry’. My classmate shifted quickly, happy to have missed the wrath, but as soon as the teacher turned her back, she leaned in again to resume our conversation. “That’s it! Miss […]
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Oh to soar above the clouds, for just one day… free-floating, empowered… what perspective would flight bring? The illusion of civilization? The fragility of our walls? And yet we aspire to ascend… no regard for the fall.. (In response to The Daily Post photo prompt: ascend )
Read MoreI just want to hold my breath and make this day last forever! For the first day in I can’t remember how long, my illness has not been on the forefront of my attention. After snow a few days ago, Texas weather is back to more moderate temperatures, with a high of 22 degrees celsius. […]
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FaceTime, phone calls and videos exchanged cannot replace in-person chats and hugs, especially when the recipients are grandchildren. I miss chasing eighteen-month-old Auggie around the house, or cuddling with Sloane to “watch something”, or exploring the million why’s of Finn. I miss my grown children, family and friends whom I value deeply. Homecoming, I know, […]
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“Varnish” I said aloud, rolling the word over my tongue as if we were new acquaintances. “What’s that you said, Mom?” My daughter, breezing through the kitchen, found me standing at the counter, gazing out the window. She was gone before I could answer. They were used to me by now, my family. How long […]
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“No guarantee about this RV park,” Ric said as we pulled off the highway and entered the spaghetti bowl of roadways into San Antonio. Bit by bit we moved off the main thoroughfares onto city streets, and as we did the landscape changed drastically. Abandoned buildings with overgrown lots popped up between commercial and industrial […]
Read MoreNever understood it when Dad called me cheeky as a kid, although I always recognized a tone of approval. Then I saw it in my own children: that look of sheer defiance that melted my heart every time. This photo of our youngest granddaughter exemplifies the epitome of cheekiness, don’t you think? (In response to […]
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One Woman's Quest II 