Long ago in a land far, far away, my husband and I went on a beach vacation with my husband’s family. One of the excursions we took was an illustrious snorkeling outage. A little backstory for you- I don’t have the greatest track record with water sports in general or any activity not taking place on land. Despite the fact that I grew up camping and swimming in rivers and lakes my entire childhood, somewhere along the course of my cognitive development, I became skittish. I took my Dramamine, actually I think I took two for good measure, bolstered a strong motivational talk to myself, and we boarded for the…

In our area, snow days are like the Chupacabra. They’re figments of the imagination. But every once in a while, the illusive becomes reality. It’s an unexpected pause. Forced quiet. Everything stills for a moment. The snow invites me to remember.  Last weekend, my mom celebrated her seventieth birthday. It was a special time filled with memory making and celebration. I stood at the back door and stared out to the patio. Sounds of laughter filled the bustling kitchen as everyone held their posts at pie baking and dinner prep. The sounds faded into the background of my mind as I flashed back to moments when I stood in that…

Stockholm Syndrome is defined as a condition in which a person begins to develop a psychological bond with their captor.  This phenomena was coined after a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, in August of 1973. The hostages were held captive for more than 130 hours. What took place during that isolated captivity was something so odd. The hostages forged a bond with their captor. They were reluctant to leave their isolation even though this feeling was against every thread of normality.  There is a strange connection between this phenomena and what is happening in our world right now. Even though we are designed by God to live in community and unity…

When my daughter was little, she loved sorting shapes. She would name the shapes and put them in the space they fit through precisely. She would gather them up and start the process over again happily; everything fitting just as it should. I find myself reflecting, searching, seeking. I was reminded of those joyful moments of play in the early years of my daughter’s childhood. This first day of 2022 unfolds. An uncharted year on the horizon. The crisp page of a fresh, new calendar hangs on the wall. I love order. Everything fitting in its rightful place, nothing askew. It’s comical, really, to try to maintain that kind of…

There’s a home in our town that rivals Clark Griswold’s in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” We drive by each year to see if there are any new additions of lights, inflatables, or displays. I wouldn’t be surprised if air traffic control uses it as a landmark offering on flight path descents during the month of December. It is the epitome of the Christmas spirit captured in the form of Christmas lights.  One year, as we made our exit from this jubilant holiday vision, I looked over at a house about a block away. It looked like they opened the front door, plugged in a string of lights into the outlet…

There are places in life where we find solace. Places that conjure up feelings of nostalgia within us. A small mountain town nestled in the hills of New Mexico is that place for me. Up a sloping hill sits a cabin on the hilltop, tucked away, nestled in the trees. It’s nothing special. Just the basics. But for me, the memories in that space are worth treasure. Sitting around that fireplace with my dad and sister, making s’mores, and laughing hysterically at life. Years later, my husband going on a drive through those mountains with my dad and asking for my hand in marriage. Yet another year later, getting married…

Our neighbor’s house has been unoccupied since the late 80’s. The owners left the house along with all its hoarded contents, locked the door behind them, and there the house has sat for decades. Recently, someone bought the house and the remodeling process is well underway. This has been no easy task. Trailer load after trailer load hauling garbage and deteriorated what nots to the dump have come and gone each day. Before any real beautification can take place, the well worn pathways of what once was must be removed. All the junk and debris must go. Before the new owner’s began remodeling, my husband walked through the house with…

Snow is one of my favorite things to experience. A snowstorm blitzed through in early January, a weather anomaly for our area. It started as gentle snowflakes drifting gracefully and became large clusters of snow speedily swirling down.  We grabbed our cold weather gear and headed to the empty field across from our house. We spent hours outside that day. Building a snowman, making snow angels, and just sitting in the snow. Sitting in silence reveling in the beauty of this rare occurrence. As I sat there, I thought of Edmund, a character from C.S. Lewis’s novel, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Edmund walked through the snowy forest of…

Roller coasters are not my forte. My favorite ride at Six Flags Over Texas was Yosemite Sam’s Gold River Adventure. In case you missed this gem, you sat in a boat and floated gently into a cave while cool mist floated gracefully down upon you to provide reprieve from the lava Texas temperatures while enjoying the Looney Tunes scenery on the slow glide through the cave. Theworst thing that could happen would be that Yosemite Sam caught you off guard with his silly antics along the way. No loops or twists and turns to make your stomach lurch. Just a nice easy journey. Despite my better judgement, my darling husband…

The first time he saw her, blonde hair blowing in the breeze through the open windows of her ivory Volkswagen Beetle, she zipped by his family’s filling station where he had been working for the summer. He had to meet her. He hopped off the cooler where he was perched awaiting customers, left his post, and went after her. I’m not sure if he locked the door or secured the cash, but off he bolted in hot pursuit. He caught her up the hill on the outskirts of town. She had pulled over at the cemetery to turn around. And so it began. Introductions, small talk, getting to know one…