Spiders and Screams

My daughter

screamed

ran out afraid

refused to sleep

in her own room

so I went in...

saw him crawling up the wall

reached over and

snatched him down

with my bare hand

"It's not that serious, girl"

as she looked closer

trying to recognize me

(I hate spiders too)

which made me smile

because 37 years ago Mom said...

"Baby, one day you will hold in your

hand the very thing that frightens you"

Time to open your hand...

Five Minute Friday- This is My Story

Yes (the font is wonky)

No (I'm not going to fix it)

--------------------------------

This is my story...

sometimes you are born into a home

sometimes you stumble into one

before this school year began

my incoming HS Freshman

made the Freshman Volleyball team

and

I was relieved

that she had found a home

a few weeks later

we arrived at the regional tournament excited

quickly pulled into a parking space

and began unloading the car when

I saw it...

one hundred days of grace

and heard...

what will you do with

the next one hundred? 

Sometimes it's more than just a parking spot...

I snapped this photo and when later I counted ahead

and found that Day 100 marked the new year

I felt a renewed sense of purpose

and THEN...

when I saw the invitation for this year's 

31 Days of 5 min free writing challenge

Grace Showed Up

and I was excited to have

(again) found a home!

And I am grateful for this

amazing writing community

because

sometimes you are born into a home

sometimes you stumble into one

and my prayer is that we never grow weary

of telling

of sharing

His Story of Grace

this...

is my story

Turn the Page... A Lesson in Vulnerability

I handed him

my notepad
and a pen

then turned my back to finish the song

he was
too young to know

I was
too old to forget

that a notepad is not the best way to keep a toddler quiet during choir rehearsal

(but for a gentle tap)

"Sis, he's writing on the other pages... not sure if you wanted him to do that"

by DMS 3/27/18

And it wasn't until this morning that I thought about it...

Sometimes in life we hand people our notebooks

we open up
we share
we are vulnerable

and they inadvertently (or willingly)

turn the page

and scribble over something we never intended for them to even see

it is an unspoken rule

but we expect people to
stay on the page that we hand them

because (we think)

this is my book

this is what I am willing to show
this is what I am willing to share

However...

he was too young and
I was just young enough

to learn

that

sometimes it's okay
to hand someone your notepad

and

sometimes it's okay
to even hope they'll turn the page...

To a Generation of "Beef-Seeking" Vegans

You are...

a plant-based
clean eating
vegan

generation

writing
posting
commenting

to use

that power
those words

to start wars
(and end them)

igniting
passion

stirring up
indignation

starting
beef

with hopes that your words will

confront
challenge
change

the world

sharing thoughts and opinions to...

invite conversation
entice minds
incite riots

biting down on injustice
to make someone

feel something
say something
do something

to stop

the carnage
the slayage
the feasting

upon innocent flesh
everywhere

And although it's ironic
(here's something to chew on)

every generation before you

was also forced

to fight
to bite

so you should never apologize for the fact

that you
have had
to become

a generation

of

flesh eating
beef-seeking

vegans

Day 27... Grace Still Happens (Perfect Together)

She

made biscuits from scratch

sifted the flour

cut in the shortening

hand kneaded the dough

let rest

and baked

until they were golden

pulled out to cool before

real butter

grape jelly

made them perfect

they were perfect

she was perfect

we were perfect

together

And I wonder if she knew...

because the year she left us

was the same year I met

him

(almost as if she made room for him)

to sit at the table

sharing biscuits

made perfect

and I am overcome with emotion

as I have been blessed once again

because...

this feels perfect

they are perfect

we are perfect

together

Country Gravy or Jelly?

The Unopened Invitation

"We missed you at the baby shower last week"

(and my facial response must have said it all)

"Wait, didn't you get the invite?"

as we both knew what must have happened...

her hubby

my hubby

his Bible

(where the envelope still sat unopened)

So I asked him later...

"Was there something you

were supposed to give me?"

immediately refreshing

his memory

and

prompting

his apology

(and I couldn't help but think about how)

this Gospel has been

handed to us

wrapped neatly

and tucked

between the pages of our Bibles

but unless

we are responsible

we remember

we open and share

(the information inside)

others will be left

still sitting

home alone

never realizing

they ever received the invite

Ten Weeks to Better Business... Children's Edition

Know a child starting a business this summer?

Follow the 10 lessons from my children's 2014
business experience to achieve maximum success

Here are the first five...

Select a business venture

If this is something the children expect to continue 

-suggest they select something they have a passion for

-determine if their business will provide:

a service or

a product

Establish a business brand

Focus on how the business
product/service will be...

presented
packaged
represented

Strategic planning

Know the...

Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?

Knowing and understanding these are at
the foundation for building a strong business

Marketing

Informing others about the product or service
is an important step for business success

How will people know the business?

Get to work

Selling a product?

Get out there and sell!

Offering a service?

Start doing the work!

Understand the law of supply and demand, master these five
basic lessons, and prepare to take the business to the next level!