My Days Well-Lived
I have not had enough empathy for people in chronic pain. The week before Mother’s Day, I injured my back — somehow. I don’t really know when or how, but trust me I’m down for the count. It toyed with me for about 6 weeks, mostly just disrupting my sleep, but in week 7, it […]
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Joining up with Five Minute Friday this week (for the first time in ages) with the prompt: opportunity. A set of circumstances that allows me to do something I want to do or have to do. That’s how most dictionaries describe the word opportunity. That sounds simple enough, right? Here’s the opportunity, go for it! […]
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We sat around the table reminiscing about childhood school experiences. And as you would guess, there was a mixture of laughter and shock as my daughters shared their memories. During a rare break in the chatter, daughter Number 3 said, “This is crazy, but one of the biggest lessons I learned in school was in […]
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Joining up with Five Minute Friday this week on the prompt: rain Those 4 letters were once just a common word in my vocabulary that described the weather. The word was neither good nor bad. It just was. It rained. Or it didn’t rain. I never gave it much thought. And then my husband became […]
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I caught myself sending up a prayer yesterday, “God….” I say “caught” because when I heard my voice, after that one word, I stopped. Seriously? Was I going to talk to God that way? I thought about that prayer the rest of the day. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with addressing God by using […]
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As I placed the watercolor paint pots on the table, I heard a few moans from around the table. “Where are our markers?” was the question of the day. Earlier in the summer, trying to save myself some prep time for each class, I searched for a way to get my pictures onto the canvas […]
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“Those paintings look so different,” my sister said when I showed her a recent photo from a Cookies & Canvas session. That made me laugh because although Cookies & Canvas is indeed a “step by step, follow the leader” type of paint class, everyone’s finished picture is unique. I tend to follow the rules and […]
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Recently I discovered a wonderful new blog, The Perennial Gen. The creators of this blog hope to reach out to women in mid-life and beyond. I copied part of their mission statement and placed it below because I wanted you to understand why I was drawn to these women, and why I wanted to write […]
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I attended a conference recently where I had the privilege of listening to a dozen women recite the essay they contributed to Leslie Leyland Fields’ newest book, The Wonder Years. It was such a fun evening, as women talked on aging, faith, beauty, strength — and training bras! In three thematic sections – -Firsts, […]
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If you are following my blog, by now you know I’ve fallen in love with this simple painting class I facilitate at my mother’s assisted living home. I didn’t want to do it. I did it for her. But the joke is on me because I’m crazy about this class — and these women. I […]
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During the last class in February, as I was setting up the art supplies, the administrator asked if she could talk with me for a minute. As I laid the last of the paints on the table, I followed her into the hallway, assuming she wanted to talk in private about something concerning my mother. […]
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I invited my friend Brenda Yoder to join me here today to talk about ways to cultivate our identity as we release our kids. I know I floundered for quite some time, trying to redefine myself, after my last child flew the coop. My children are spaced out by 13 years, so I had been […]
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A few years back, my husband and I visited Colorado Spings for the first time. As we left the airport and drove south toward the city, the snow-covered beauty of Pike’s Peak came into view. And as most likely with first time visitors, it’s summit beckoned to us. We needed to get to the top […]
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The forecast for Friday was daunting. The news was calling for a winter storm with 14 inches of snow threatening our area. I texted my husband on Thursday afternoon, saying, “I think I’m just going to cancel class.” His reply was almost instantaneous, “just wait until morning.” I think he gets just as excited about […]
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A Snowman picture just seemed appropriate for the first art class in January at my mom’s assisted living facility. The roads were snow-covered and the trees glistened with ice. Brrr. I think we should have had some hot chocolate as well. As Loraine took her seat, she told me her daughter had taken down most […]
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As I was setting up for our first art class since the holidays, Phyllis came into the room, saying, “Connie, I want you to see something.” As she got closer, she opened up her walker seat, and pulled out the coloring book I had given her for Christmas. “Look! I’ve been working on these pictures. […]
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I am an Old Testament girl. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to live under the law! I’m all about God’s amazing grace, but oh, how I love that older book. I can get lost in the stories (and drama) in the lives of those men and women. I identify with Moses, and his […]
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There were only a few moans of apprehension when my class of assisted living artists saw my example of a whimsical turkey. “You want us to paint that”? But once I set the canvas down in front of them, each person took a large paint brush and began to paint the background. That’s how […]
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“I turned down a birthday party invitation because I didn’t want to miss art class.” That’s what Phyllis said as she took her seat at the table. “Oh, Phyllis, I’m sorry you’re missing a party! I hope it wasn’t a family member.” “No, just a good friend.” Oh my…. I am happy that the residents […]
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When attending a writer’s workshop, I heard an author say, ‘writing a book is like birthing a baby.’ And now, even after just 17,000 words, I get that. I have had some labor pains as I’ve worked on this series, a few sleepless nights even. It’s bittersweet that today is my last post for Do You […]
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As I sit here at my keys, thinking about the last couple of posts I need to write for this 31 Days series, my fingers are silent. I promised to close out this month with a personal story about my journey of searching to belong. And even though I’ve tried to be transparent as I’ve […]
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Today is Day #28 in this Write 31 Day challenge, Do You Belong, and I’ve invited a friend to speak in my place. I first met Elizabeth Murphy two years ago at a writer’s conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Elizabeth is an enthusiastic encourager of women, a gifted storyteller, and an accomplished public speaker. Elizabeth […]
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