Boy was I was seething. My anger burned red-hot toward the callous thief who’d scammed my vulnerable widowed friend out of a huge chunk of money, a significant portion of her retirement fund. How can anyone intentionally wound others like that? Yet they do. We hear about them every day. And then when unfathomable deceit ...
Rooting for the Underdog
My current obsession with flowers can probably be explained by the time of year it is (late spring), when in most regions of our fair country, flowers are popping up and bursting forth with fragrant blooms that tickle our various fancies. Here in Florida, though, (the state actually named for its incredible flora and fauna), ...
Mother’s Day Legacy
In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought I’d share a reading inspired by my own irrepressible mama from my new devotional, Bless Your Heart, set to release on July 15. Mama graduated to Heaven a few years ago but her legacy lives on in all of us who were blessed to love her. Creating a Legacy ...
Bless You
While we were visiting friends in Alabama last week, I was startled to round a corner in downtown Opelika and encounter a HUGE blessing right there on the side of a building. I’ve had the concept of blessings steadily percolating lately in preparation for my upcoming book release in July: Bless Your Heart, and this unexpected ...
Wildflowers or Weeds
One of my favorite childhood memories is frolicking in the open field just down the dirt road from our rural yard on sunny summer mornings. The field was like a fairyland to me, filled with hundreds of vibrant buttercups that were oh-so-beautiful when gathered into a bouquet and delivered to my delighted mama as a ...
Easter Blessings
My favorite Easter decoration is this little sign I post in my front flower bed. It’s not new. It’s not fancy. It’s not eye-snagging in the least. But it’s honest and blatant and bare-bones about the message it brings: That you may be missing a vital part of yourself this year (notice the bunny’s missing ...
The Fragrance of Easter
We’re rapidly approaching what I consider one of the most significant holy days (or holidays if you prefer) of Christendom: Easter. The sorrow of Good Friday (still not crazy about calling it “Good” when at the time it occurred, it felt very, very bad) followed by the joyous celebration of Resurrection Sunday. In honor of ...
Celebrating Spring
I’ve just returned from two glorious weeks celebrating the sprouting of Spring at our Smoky Mountain cabin, so I thought I’d share a reading from my brand new 365-devotional, Bless Your Heart: Daily Devotions to Warm Your Heart and Feed Your Soul, set to release the first of July, 2025 (GULP – only 3 short months ...
Every Day is Thanksgiving
Gratitude. Is it as hard for you to embrace as a habit as it is for me? I’m more naturally a whiner, I guess. I hate to say it but complaining seems so cathartic to me – at the time I’m doing it – that I’ve allowed grousing to become ingrained in my Debbie fiber. ...
Somewhere Over the Bugnado
Bugnado. Yes, it’s a real thing. Did you know about that interesting but horrifying fluke of nature? I didn’t. Until yesterday. I was riding my bike on my regular 5-mile Sunday afternoon rural route by a lake (don’t know if the lake part is pertinent or not), daydreaming while pumping those pedals as I always ...