Category: Call me daughter

  •   "…it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." ~ Charles Dickens If ever there was a year of ups and downs, it was 2023. We lost too many loved ones, and yet also experienced amazing new adventures and…

  •   "There will be peace in the valley…"   Almost every morning I run up a small hill near our home to take in this view of the Texas Hill Country. The last couple of days of 2019, I was greeted with this image of golden light, crisp blue skies, and mist forming over Lake…

  • I was lucky to be a child of the late '70's, which means none of my contemporaries had to serve during time of war or in a war zone. While many of them volunteered, and there is never any guarantee that a war won't break out on any given day, their service was focused on…

  •   It didn't hit me until today, but I'm sure my mom must have been a bit nervous as the birth of my first child drew close. After all… I had been the baby of our family… and relished the role As a little girl, I preferred stuffed animals to baby dolls. My only two…

  •   In gratitude to all of you who have served, or who continue to serve, here's my annual tribute about my own favorite veterans. All too often we take your service and sacrifices for granted. Thanks for serving anyway.    "Lord, if your people need me, I will not refuse the work. Your will be…

  •     "It’s hard to describe the choked up teary eyed swell of love and shaky adrenaline you experience witnessing your first child transform from a stomach bump into a little being. You’re mesmerized by their little sounds and movements for hours. Its like staring at the northern lights, lightning storms, ocean waves smashing cliffs,…

  • "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." ~Jack Layton     When I headed to Florida with Tom last weekend, weather forecasts indicated we could be meeting up with a mini-hurricane. Ever-hopeful,…

  •   When I was young, Thanksgiving was my least favorite holiday. There usually weren't any cousins my age to play with and the older ones didn't like me tagging along; I didn't care for most of the food (I didn't even like pie!); and after eating, everyone just sat around watching football, so I couldn't…

  • A tiny box in the upper righthand corner of my computer reminds me that today is my mom's 86th birthday. (As if I could forget!) However, my heart reminds me that she is so much more than those earthly years. She is free from their bonds. I feel her love around me all the time,…

  •  Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragonflyHangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky. ~Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Silent Noon   This morning as Belle and I finished our walk, a dragonfly buzzed close, circling and circling. It even hovered about a foot from me for a few seconds, providing me a good look at its…