“End of Construction – Thank you for your patience.” These words were chosen by Ruth Bell Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham, for her gravestone, and they have arisen in my reading several times over the years. I’m not sure I can accurately articulate why the expression resonates so deeply within me. Perhaps the reason …
Category: Spiritual Life
Charitable Writing
As an avid reader and traveler, one of my favorite quotes (as I shared in Racing to Roam) hangs on the wall in my home, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” Because this quote blends two of my favorite activities, it illustrates for me the wealth …
Friendship Conversations
In researching the characteristics typical of people who are considered to be flourishing at life, it should be no surprise how often someone’s ability to thrive is connected to the individuals with whom they have created Relational Equity, or as Shawn Anchor terms it in his book, The Happiness Advantage, social capital. As I continue …
Welcome to the Table
Daylight shines brightly from the reflected February snow over the black dining table in my home, highlighting the fact that it hasn’t been dusted in a while; however, there is a valid reason the dust bunnies are flourishing on my table, since no one has pulled up a chair in at least a month. This …
Waiting Room
My hope is that you never have to experience the lack of control that comes with sitting in a Waiting Room; however, few people will ever be exempt from this experience, whether it arrives as a painless encounter such as awaiting a tire rotation at a local service station or the agonizing hours that slowly …
Be Still
Blaming the issue on sensitive hearing, I have been known to physically remove the batteries from the back of clocks in friends’ homes when the irritating ticking prevented me from falling asleep. For this reason, the story shared by Leslie Koh describing a young boy’s discovery of a lost watch when others failed to locate …
Through It All
Experiencing an immense amount of insecurity when it comes to writing this blog and feeling less than confident about sharing personal insights about what the Lord is revealing throughout this research on the topic of a flourishing life, I am convinced that Through It All, there is perhaps a purpose somewhere in all my mess. …
Raging Seas
Extended breaks from classes often offers an opportunity to engage in an activity that rarely occurs in my home, cooking! The investment it takes to plan, purchase, and prepare a meal as a single person does not merit that type of effort on a regular basis, but when provided the luxury of an unscheduled day, …
Lasting Lyrics
Respectfully Mystified once more! After nearly five decades into this life journey, it seems as if there would be a diminishing effect to being utterly flabbergasted at how God chooses to “speak” into my life, but once again, I sit here in open-mouthed wonder at the unique approach my Savior employs to communicate with me. …
Never Let Go
One of my all-time favorite movies, The Guardian, may be a film that few people have ever viewed, and to be completely honest, I’m not sure I have any recollection of it actually being in theaters in 2006; however, it is a movie that I treasure and have watched repeatedly over the years for multiple …