This past week, I have been thinking about death. Three unrelated deaths occurred in different spheres of my life. None of them were people I was very close with, one I hadn’t even met, but they still have had an impact on my perspective. As we enter Holy Week in the Christian church, we approach … [Read more…]
Last week another tragedy hit our country and shook me. It shook a lot of people. I dove into the news coverage, afraid after 24 hours it would get buried under other less than important stories. But something extraordinary happened. Teens who were experiencing all the emotions that come with such a horrific event, were … [Read more…]
The next post I had planned to write was sharing all the wonderful insights from my experience in NYC at #VoxCon. There’s so much to process and it takes time. My biggest takeaway from that event was to “Keep writing and speak up…especially in the messy.” Today was already a unique day. This is the … [Read more…]
When the clock struck midnight on a new day and a new year I thought I was ready. 2017 had been a hard year for me, for us. In fact, I knew many people who were glad it was over. But the thing about time, is that it doesn’t stop. There’s no chance to recover. … [Read more…]
I’ve joined in the practice in selecting a word at the beginning of each new year. Most of the time, I have forgotten the word (as we forget or fail at resolutions), but I feel like it’s still an important exercise to end one year and begin another. A few days ago a friend posted … [Read more…]
In this final post about 2017, I refer to several previous posts that do a better job of describing this aspect of our year. The first 2/3’s of the year were a blur in many ways. My spouse spiraled down into a depressive state and I did everything I could to maintain what needed to … [Read more…]
I am very thankful for high school US history and government classes for giving me a basic understanding of our democratic system here in our country. But this last year has been a huge learning curve for me in regards to what happens every day in each of our three branches of government and how … [Read more…]
2017 brought some new adventures, with travel to some new places, visits with family and friends and meeting new people! We had family visit from Michigan and got to experience a few of our favorite places (and some new ones) through the eyes of our 4 year old nieces! Jack and I celebrated our 5th … [Read more…]
I am planning to send a few Christmas cards this year, but they won’t include a review of 2017 from the Phoenix family. So instead, I thought I would write a few blog posts (and include pictures) to review the year. I came across a note I wrote to myself for individual priorities for this … [Read more…]
This weekend I was struggling with forgiveness in regards to processing several particularly difficult situations. In a conversation with my spouse, he shared some Scripture and a devotional exercise. I am used to being the one leading the Bible study or devotion, so it was nice to listen and also a surprise, as he is … [Read more…]