When Mother’s Day is Painful
If you’re one of the sisterhood, if Mother’s Day brings mixed feelings, I wrote this for you.
Now Is the Time to Ditch Your Mask
Are you ready to ditch your mask? Why do we wear our masks in the first place? Maybe it’s time to consider our mask-wearing priorities.
How to Keep Baking Shows From Making You Fat
I’m blaming my weight gain on the Nailed It! show. What gets the blame for your habits? Let’s talk about buttercream, chocolate, and Jesus.
How to Live Your Best Virtual Conference Life
I flopped onto the porch swing.
“Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference is moving ahead at half capacity and will also offer a virtual conference option.”
Toddler angst and teen ennui grappled for control of my tear ducts. Adult rationale cowered somewhere in the background.
Hubby side-eyed me.
“Shouldn’t you be smiling? A virtual option is good news, right?”
“Yes, but—”
How to Survive When Covid Makes You Cry
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Covid. Parenting. Surviving. Working. Living. Drowning. You’re not alone. Covid finally made me cry. Here’s what helped me.
When Home Isn’t Safe
What if home isn’t safe? Resources for escaping domestic violence in a locked-in world.
Bread, Yeast, and Covid-19
Finding thankfulness IN (not necessarily FOR) your circumstance makes all the difference. Also: who’s afraid of bread?
Hope on Purpose Series, Part 2
Welcome back to the Hope on Purpose series! Thanks for joining us. We like you.
If you’d like to start at the beginning (which, as we all know, is a very good place to start), click here.
And because, having written the above line, I cannot get the song out of my head:
I hadn’t planned to work The Sound of Music into today’s chat, but now that we’re here… Maria (portrayed above by Julie Andrews) is a great example of today’s topic.
And yes, my fact-checking friends, I’m aware the movie changed a number of aspects for a better story. That sweeping last scene of lugging instruments over the mountains…very cinematic.
Anyway, one thing is obvious in historical archives. Real-life Maria was a driving force. She overcame a difficult childhood, abuse, and health issues. She became the magnet holding her large family together.
She chose to be positive in an incredibly difficult situation. She chose to Hope on Purpose.
Covid19 is devastating, but even so, it’s nothing in comparison to World War II. In spite of odds stacked high against her, Maria persevered. Thanks to her indomitable spirit, her family survived–and thrived.
How can we follow her example?
By choosing to hope on purpose. Requires effort? Yes. Worth it? Definitely.
But how?