Hello lovely readers. A dear friend of mine advised me to be forthright about why I haven’t written in a month. I’m drained, I’m heart-sick, I’m battle-weary. I love writing, I love sharing about Jesus. However, things in my personal life have become a bit like a Hydra. In Greek mythology, the Hydra was a nine-headed monster, and when anyone attempted to cut off one of its heads, two more grew in its place. The only solution was to cauterize the wound before the heads could regrow. If you know me or have followed the blog over the last three years ( has it really been three years??), then you…

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28: 16 -20 Dear Readers ~ This is a direct request from me to you. The primary reason this blog exists is my humble attempt to fulfill the Great Commission…

“Greet one another with a holy kiss.” Romans 16:16. Recently, my granddaughter was sick with a lingering virus and couldn’t attend daycare on her scheduled days. After being out of her routine for a week, she was reluctant to enter her classroom, preferring to cling to me. I admit I was tired of her toddler company, as I usually have her two days a week, and it had spiked to five. Full disclosure, the week we had spent together had drained my patience reserves. For three of the five sick days, she had a fever but refused to swallow medicine to bring it down. Instead, she decided that lying on…

According to a recent New York Times article, 87% of people use gift wrap for wrapping a present. Another 11% use gift bags to save “time, money, and effort.” They are lazy, and we all know it. The remaining two percent are total sociopaths, and you shouldn’t invite them to a Christmas party. Ok, I made that entire article up, and if you believed me, you might want to consider a digital literacy class. For the record, I used gift bags this year. My teenage daughter called me a cheater. I call myself someone who enjoys sleep more than wrapping. No matter your preference for gift wrapping – remember that…

I have the sweetest collection of love notes from my daughters tucked away in my bible. They were all written when the girls were young and wore blinders to my numerous faults. The notes are adorable, with drawings of me in various states of basic artistry: a big circle head and a tiny triangle body. My name is written in big chunky letters with statements of undying love and my state of perfection. Best mom ever! One of my favorite notes came from daughter # 3, who created an entire series of award notes for Mother’s Day, which she cut into shapes to look like blue ribbons you would win…

When I had the pleasure of turning fifty, I participated in a clinical trial through a partnership between Dana- Farber Cancer Institute and California healthcare company Grail. Grail has pioneered a simple blood test for multi-cancer early detection called Galleri.  Grail’s end goal is a routine blood test to detect early-phase cancer. I was absolutely fascinated by the idea that donating just a tiny amount of my blood could help save lives in the future. During the clinical trial of 6,600 volunteers, 92 people were diagnosed with early-stage cancer. Early-stage cancer has far higher cure rates. It is a heartwarming feeling to know I was blessed to be a (tiny!)…

Funny thing about God. He doesn’t ask our permission for the circumstances He will use to mold us into more like Him. Take me, for example. I am an introvert; however, God has blessed me with the role of mother to a soccer team’s worth of children. I prefer the quiet, but my daily routine is usually an endless barrage of quirky questions like this one. “Hey mom, do cats burp?” Ummm…. I admit to searching the internet for the answer. They do, but it’s not a good sign, in case you were wondering. I need to recharge my batteries frequently to serve my family with a smile. Jesus sets…

Years ago, I was invited to swap my usual crisp November weather for a Thanksgiving visit to the balmy climes of South Carolina’s Lowcountry. Joining my father, brother, and sister-in-law for an al fresco holiday buffet was a welcome turnaround from the more polar provisions of New England. The restaurant is nestled within The Hammock Shops Village of Pawleys Island. Since 1889, these locally handcrafted hammocks, or “lazy beds” as Marvin Grant fondly calls them, have been as much a staple of the area as the Spanish moss-covered oak trees they sit beneath. Marvin Grant, a transplant from New York, is known as the “Hammock Man,” and he has been…

I have been struggling to write this post.  Not because I can’t find the words, but because I am getting used to saying them. If you haven’t read my previous blog post, Beloved Daughter of Jesus, it provides background for this one. To summarize, a woman who has been bleeding for twelve years is desperate for relief. She has spent all her money on doctors, but they have only made it worse, so she finds her way to Jesus in a crowd. She believes that if she can touch Jesus, she will be healed. She is healed the second she touches Jesus.  Mark 5:25 -32 I always have had a…