Eeeewwwww.....

Yeah, that was me this morning.

I had been off for two weeks. No thought of work or anything really related to it.

Digression....the last day of work before the Christmas break, a company came out and rekeyed my office. They handed me a ring with five new keys on it as I was preparing to leave the building.

Back to this morning. Something hit me about 6:30 a.m. that I had not seen my keys. I searched the car, two purses, all my pant pockets, and jacket pockets. I searched all the little tote bags I carry around, and again I searched the car, two purses, all my....

Finally, I went on in. We called Lock Doc and waited a couple of hours. Two nice guys--one of which had rekeyed my office--came out. They opened my door, and there on my desk --- four new keys. Then it hit me!

That day two weeks ago as I was leaving I quickly took one of the keys and put it on my keyring! I had it all the time!

Eeeewwwww! Yes, you have permission to laugh. Everyone else did.

I did, too.

P.S. Those nice guys did not charge me!

School and Southernisms

Monday is the big day here. Our children and educators start their next instructional year.

This year is special. Jonah starts Pre-K. He is excited and definitely ready academically. "Meet The Teacher" was last night. Dad happily reported all went well!

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A whistling woman and a crowing hen never comes to a very good end. (be who you are)

Ain't that the berries! (that is great!)

As easy as sliding off a greasy log backward. (very easy)

Barking up the wrong tree. (you are wrong)

Be like the old lady who fell out of the wagon. (you aren't involved, so stay out of it)

Have a great Friday!

A Burnt Biscuit........No Deal Breaker

If you haven't read this story before, take the time to read it. If you have, read it again. It will be a great reminder.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

Life is full of imperfect things....and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults - and choosing to celebrate each others differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!

Spinning Plates

The question “How do you find balance in your life?” has been asked over and over. You may have heard it posed to someone during an interview either in person or on the television.

Have you ever given this some thought personally? Well, I am throwing this one out to you today.

Now, first let me say I acknowledge that as Christians we know it takes faith, prayer, daily communion with God, and many other attributes of a meaningful relationship with Him to find true joy and peace.

But for just a second, let’s talk though about the nitty gritty of our day-to-day “earthly” challenges. As a mom, daughter, wife, etc. I know we all have days where we begin to “feel” the spinning of the plates!


Bottom line….what do YOU do?

Is it a pedicure? Is it a girls’ night out? A hot bath? A shopping trip? A workout? Saturday outing? Listening to music?

You get the idea. So again--what do YOU do? Leave me a comment. We are all ears!!

Learning from Older Adults

My grandmother made doll clothes with me and showed me how she made soap. A friend of my mom’s taught me to crochet. This same lady helped me with my sewing skills and some basic flower arranging. Ladies in a local nursing home shared their crafts proudly every time we visited there.

Although I didn’t realize it probably at the time, these experiences were just as valuable to them as to me. Giving older adults opportunities to share their experience, wisdom, and skills with young people only makes sense. It’s a win-win situation.

Of course, we have the obvious; the young people learn the skills. They enjoy the older adults who show them warmth, friendliness, care, and concern. Through these relationships, young people can be taught character traits that will influence them and impact future relationships.

But it also addresses the needs of older adults with feelings of achievement, belonging, and even power. The older adults enjoy sharing skills they perform well. It is a constructive use of their time that sometimes passes so slowly during the long days. They still enjoy helping people, working at something they enjoy, and being around young people.

Fellowship, friendship, and feelings of worth are invaluable regardless of the age. I was blessed to be around older adults as a child, and I still love being around them!

Please leave a comment and tell me what you learned from an older adult!

45 Lessons 

The following was written By Regina Brett, and it was originally published in The Plain Dealer on Sunday, May 28, 2006.

She said, "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written." I hope one of these will make a difference with you today.



1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, ... Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a "gift."