Notes to Self...and whoever's listening

September has always been a great month, largely because our family celebrates six birthdays in one week! Add to that it's the beginning of Fall on either my brother's birthday or mine. September is a great month. This year. 2023? It was a rough one. Besides additional physical struggles for my sister, September 8th I quit my job. Many of you know a bit about the why, but I'm going to go a little more in depth here - partly so I can be transparent and partly because it is healing for me. I started this latest job with a renowned attorney in the Rockford/Loves Park/Byron area in April, leaving a job behind where the environment was "frosty" and the attorney I worked with swore like a sailor. Many are able to get past that, but I cringe every time I hear swearing and let me tell you, I cringed all day long every day. There were other major issues, but this isn't about that job. From day one with this new attorney, I realized it may have been a mistake to come he...

This week in my prayer time one morning, I felt the Lord show me some correlations to a few things I've been going through. One thing has been an issue I've dealt with for years. The other is recent. But seeing how He brings things together is always a little awe-inspiring to me. Let's start with the more recent development: physical therapy. About a year ago I started having terrible heel pain on my right foot. It would get worse after I spent full days on my feet. The evenings after a day of baking or decorating were terrible. I chose not to go to the doctor for reasons I'll share in a minute here so I tried all the remedies I could think of, but nothing worked. When I couldn't take it anymore, I relented and went to the doctor who sent me to the podiatrist. There I had x-rays done to confirm the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis with a falling arch.  Then came therapy. My main therapist met with me the first day to do measurements and further tests to see how he...

Her name is Janice.  Who? The homeless woman who lives in the alley across the street from my work. She has a cart and a small suitcase always by her side. She always sleeps sitting up - at least anytime I see her. I've taken her a bag of water and some snacks once. I pray for her a lot. Until yesterday, I'd only spoken to her once - the time I dropped off the water and snacks. I told her my name and asked her hers. She spoke it quietly, barely above a whisper.  Yesterday I saw her standing at the end of the alley rather than sleeping in the back of it. I dug through my purse and pulled out two fives. I unrolled my window and drove up to her at the alley. I called her name to get her to come to me. Her head shot up and she just stared at me. She seemed shocked to be called that or that I remembered her. Then she came to me and we talked and I handed her the money. A few seconds after she left my car, I heard the manager of another local business call her by her name and ask ho...

You know how family businesses often say ______ & Son(s)? I giggled last night when I thought of how silly that would sound with "& Daughter" at the end. It's just not usually done - honestly, I've never seen it done. Have you?  The other thing that a company like that represents is often a mechanic's shop or a furniture store. Can't even think of other possibilities now that I'm actually trying to.  Anyway, these families share the family business. The elder male teaches the younger one the family business. Even Joseph taught Jesus the family business of carpentry. I'm guessing that a lot is learned during the younger years for the son being taught side-by-side by his father who may have been taught by his father and so on...  Why this line of thought? Glad you asked. I "joined" the family business myself. But it wasn't mechanics or carpentry or anything handy with tools of any kind. If you know my father, well, you'd underst...

There are only a few times in my life that I've sensed the Lord "talking" to me almost audibly. The moment is sacred and it leaves me grinning because I KNOW that I KNOW that I KNOW that was Him.  This happened on Friday. The Roe v. Wade decision had been handed down a few hours earlier. I alerted my parents then was mulling over in my head how I might respond to the news to put it on social media. I felt as a Christian I needed to say something. So I took to social media and began scrolling. Most of the posts were full of anger. LOTS of anger. Then you had the few posts that expressed their joy. Finally I came across one post that was in support of the ruling, but was also highlighting the very real needs of women facing this decision and it made me think of some of the issues in ways I hadn't before.  I asked her if I could copy her post and she readily gave me permission.  But I felt a hesitation to post. At that moment I didn't realize God would be talking to ...

But blessed is the one who trusts in the L ord , whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8   Life hasn't been super easy lately. Like-it's been hard. Personally harder than I can remember it being in longer than...well, I don't know. I've talked a little about it. Shared a little about it. Told a little on social media about it. But the deep things - the things that have kept me up at night and brought torrents of tears? Nope, only a few have heard those things. We don't all have to hear everyone's deepest hurts, frustrations, and pains. We just need to realize that at any moment, someone might be living some of their deepest struggles. I don't know when life is going to calm down. I wish there was an end date so I could look forward to that...